More than 17,000 jobs lost at Australian universities during Covid pandemic

More than 17,000 people have lost their jobs at Australian universities since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, with further job cuts expected this year.

The job losses equate to 13% of Australia’s pre-Covid university workforce, and the chief executive of Universities Australia, Catriona Jackson, said more cuts were “probable” as the border remained closed.

At least 17,300 people lost their jobs in universities last year – including permanent staff as well as casuals who did not have their contracts renewed – according to the latest data from Universities Australia. It’s an increase on the 12,500 job losses reported by the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) in October.

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Dr Alison Barnes, the president of the NTEU, said the scale of the losses was “shocking” and would harm future generations of Australians.

“These are people who should be in our classrooms, supporting our students, who should be designing cures for diseases like Covid-19, or creating the technological changes that will help our economy over decades,” Barnes said.

“The parents of Australia should be frankly really alarmed. You have got these figures of job losses coupled with the incredible reductions of courses, and that harms future generations of Australia. It harms anybody who is a school leaver, or who wants to retrain if they lose their job.”

Public universities and their staff were not able to access jobkeeper during 2020 or 2021, and Barnes said this had contributed to the scale of the layoffs, and caused financial stress for individuals.

“We asked for jobkeeper and were denied on three occasions,” she said. “The government has actively worked against any rescue package or lifeline for what the sector desperately needs.

“You look at people who are struggling to pay rent, struggling to feed themselves. It is beyond the economic, it’s the impact on people’s wellbeing. A member described to me somebody who lost their job who is now living in a caravan without electricity.

“This is the human cost of what happens when a federal government walks away from our public universities, which are presumably integral to democracy, integral to economic wellbeing and civil society”.

Jackson said the loss of each staff member was “bad for the university community, and Australia’s knowledge reservoir”.

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Universities Australia estimated the sector lost $1.8bn in revenue in 2020, and was projected to lose a further $2bn in 2021.

Jackson said the revenue losses would continue for years, especially given international students stuck overseas had not been allowed into Australia yet.

“If an international student didn’t enrol in 2020, the loss would be felt for what would have been their entire three or four years at university,” she said. “Continuing border closures mean universities face the double whammy of fewer returning students in 2020, and reduced numbers in 2021.

“Universities have worked hard to limit job losses … unfortunately, it is probable we will see further reductions this year.”

Barnes also said that the 17,300 job losses would have a broader impact on the Australian economy.

“They are people who suddenly have less income, people who no longer can purchase the things they once could. Their ability to contribute economically is vastly reduced.”