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The teaching profession: trends from 1999 to 2005

Jane Lin
Labour Force Survey
Statistics Canada

Women account for more than a third of full-time university professors
Educators aging
Elementary and secondary teachers reported the most unpaid overtime
More university professors working under contract and on a part-time basis
College and university professors 55 plus: fastest growing share of part-time
...and changing the face of part-time
Teachers’ wages follow inflation
Summary
Data sources, definitions and limitations

References

The children of baby boomers, like their parents in the 1970s, are making a big impact on employment in the teaching profession. These ‘echo babies’ are attending universities in large numbers, leaving behind empty seats in elementary, and soon, secondary classrooms. The ranks of university professors experienced a rate of employment growth three times that of elementary and secondary teachers between 1999 and 2005.

While the teaching profession adapts to demographic shifts in the student population, it is also experiencing demographic change from within. University professors are generally older than the average worker and many are fast approaching retirement age. Rather than retiring completely however, more are continuing on a part-time or contractual basis. Indeed, college and university professors 55 and older are a fast growing segment of the part-time faculty, influencing a change in the composition of this group.

Using data from the Labour Force Survey (LFS), this article profiles university and college professors and elementary and secondary teachers from 1999 to 2005—who they are and how their working conditions have changed.

Over the seven-year period, the number of educators grew from 457,000 to 502,000 (Table 1). In 2005, close to three-quarters were teachers in elementary and secondary schools, while the remainder were college (15%) or university (12%) professors.

Demographic shifts can explain some of the recent trends in teacher employment. The school-aged population 5 to 18 declined by 1% between 1999 and 2005, while the postsecondary-aged population 19 to 24 grew 9% (Chart 1). A higher proportion of 20 to 29 year-olds attended university in 2005 (27.5%) compared with 1999 (24.6%),1 while enrolment in public elementary and secondary schools dropped by 1.2%. In response, employment grew 29.6% for university professors from 1999 to 2005 (Table 1), three times higher than the gain for elementary and secondary teachers (8.8%).2

Chart 1
Children of baby boomers increase older youth population 1999=100

Chart 1: Children of baby boomers increase youth population 19 to 24 years Source: Statistics Canada, Estimates of population,CANSIM Table 051-0001

Other research has indicated that demographic shifts in the student population are not the only driving force of changes in recent trends in educator employment. For example, the increase in university revenues from tuition fees and government transfers3 might have offered opportunities to hire additional teaching personnel. At public elementary and secondary schools, the declining student population contrasted with a growing teacher workforce. This has been reflected in a student-educator ratio which has declined every year between 1997-1998 and 2003-2004.4

Women account for more than a third of full-time university professors

Women have increased their presence in nearly all levels of teaching. In 1999, they made up 62.3% or 285,000 of the entire educator workforce; by 2005 their share had increased to 65.5% or 329,000 (Table 2 and Table 3), with the most notable gains at the university level.

By 2005, women made up 17,000 or 35.3% of full-time university professors, an increase from 12,000 or 29.2% in 1999 (Chart 2). Over half of all full-time female university professors taught in the humanities, education and health domains and this pattern has existed for decades (see Sussman and Yssaad 2005).

Chart 2
In 2005 women increase their share to 35% of full-time university professors

Chart 2: In 2005 women increase their share to 35% of full-time university professors
Source: Labour Force Survey 2005

At colleges, the number of male instructors declined, while females boosted their numbers. Consequently, women’s share of the full-time college faculty increased from 43.6% (24,000) in 1999 to 48.2% (26,000) in 2005.

In elementary and secondary schools, women accounted for almost two-thirds (65.8% or 179,000) of full-time teachers in 1999. This rose to 204,000 or 69.0% by 2005, mostly because of an increase in the number of women and a slight decline in the number of men.

Educators aging

Educators are generally older than the average worker—45 versus 42 in 2005. University professors and college instructors were older still (47), not surprising given the additional years needed to obtain advanced credentials and qualifications.

Among university professors, 58.6% were 45 or older in 2005. The reverse was true for elementary and secondary teachers, with 58.6% under the age of 45 (Chart 3).

Chart 3
Nearly 60% of university professors over 45 years in 2005

Chart 3: Nearly 60% of university professors over 45 years in 2005
Source: Labour Force Survey 2005

An aging population and educational workforce pose some interesting challenges. For example, will elementary and secondary teachers face difficulties in keeping their jobs or finding employment, as the school aged population continues to decline? Also, a greater number of older university professors are working part-time instead of retiring completely; how will this influence decisions to hire new teaching staff?

Elementary and secondary teachers reported the most unpaid overtime

Elementary and secondary school teachers worked more unpaid overtime hours than other educators. In 2005, elementary and secondary school teachers who worked overtime put in about 7.6 unpaid hours each week (Table 4).

Other studies have found that teachers of younger students usually have less allotted time for in-class preparation and more supervisory duties than secondary school teachers. Elementary teachers are the least likely to feel that their statutory class preparation time is sufficient.5 A large volume of work and changing workload duties are all cited as stress inducers.6

Even though full-time elementary and secondary teachers reported the most unpaid overtime (time above their usual paid hours7 per week), full-time university professors worked the most actual hours8 in total. Actual hours include time spent lesson planning, supervising teaching assistants, conducting research, meeting with parents and the like. Full-time professors averaged 46.4 actual hours per week, 6 more than the average worker. Full-time elementary and secondary teachers averaged 42.9 hours. Full-time college instructors, including language instructors, worked the least actual hours (38.6 hours). This pattern was unchanged from 1999.

Overtime may be difficult for university professors and college instructors to report due to the nature of their jobs. Their work hours are less clearly defined compared to elementary and secondary teachers. Elementary and Secondary teachers have contracts that clearly state the usual number of weekly hours for which they will be paid, any time above this is considered over time. This might explain why university professors work more actual hours but reported relatively low unpaid over-time.

More university professors working under contract and on a part-time basis

Educators are also more likely than other workers to be employed part time or on a contractual basis—for example, 20.5% versus 9.7% worked on a non-permanent basis in 2005. Nearly 1 in 5 educators (20.9%) worked part time compared with 12.4% of workers overall.

Contractual and part-time work has increased for all educators since 1999, and nowhere is this more evident than at universities9. In 1999, only 15.5% of university professors were non-permanent (Table 5). By 2005, this proportion had doubled to 31.7%. For elementary and secondary teachers, non-permanent employment also inched up, but more moderately—from 14.2% to 17.9%. College and vocational instructors also saw an increase—from 21.0% to 24.9%.

Part-time employment (less than 30 hours per week) also increased rapidly among university professors compared with other educators. In 1999, just 8.7% of university educators were working part time; by 2005, this had nearly doubled to 17.5%. College instructors also saw an increase—from 21.4% to 26.4%. Elementary and secondary teachers experienced almost no growth in part-time employment over that period.

College and university professors 55 plus: fastest growing share of part-time

More college and university professors 55 and older were working in 2005 compared to seven years earlier. Furthermore, these professors were the fastest growing share of part-time staff.

In 1999, only 19.0% of college and university professors were 55 or older; by 2005 this had grown to 23.6%, which is a reflection of the aging professor population. Their share of part-time faculty increased from 13.1% in 1999 to 25.5% by 2005. In contrast, the part-time share of the youngest professors (25 to 34) shrank from 36.6% to 23.8% (Chart 4). This shift occurred because of an increase in the number of older professors working part-time rather than a drop in younger part-time professors.

Chart 4
More college and university professors 55 plus joining part-time

Chart 4: More older professors joined part-time faculty
E Use with caution
Source: Labour Force Survey 2005

...and changing the face of part-time

It is not uncommon for retired university professors to return to work on a contract or part time basis. Previous research has shown that part-time university professors tend to be younger and less qualified than those working full time.10 The growing proportion of older professors working part-time means that the overall part-time faculty in 2005 were more likely to hold an advanced degree and to be older compared to earlier years.

Part-time employment offers the growing number of older—perhaps retired—college and university professors the opportunity to continue their research or teaching.

Educators’ wages follow inflation

From 1999 to 2005, average weekly wages for full-time educators increased 15.0% from $1025 in 1999 to $1178 in 2005. This kept pace with inflation which was 15.2% over the same period.

Average weekly wages for elementary or secondary school teacher working full time was $1046 in 2005, an increase of 14.3% from 1999 (Table 6). University professors saw their wages rise by 14.5%, while college and vocational instructors had the largest increase at 18.4%. In comparison, the average employee saw a wage increase of 18.1% during this time.

Ontario elementary and secondary school teachers had the highest average weekly wage in 2005 ($1,118), while Prince Edward Island reported the lowest ($903) (Chart 5).

Chart 5
In 2005 Ontario school teachers weekly pay above national average

Chart 5: In 2005 Ontario school teachers weekly pay above national average
Source: Labour Force Survey 2005

Summary

In recent years, the number of university professors has been growing at a faster rate than elementary and secondary school teachers. This is influenced by both a higher enrolment at universities and fewer children aged 5 to 18.

The proportion of full-time female professors has also increased, while the share of elementary and secondary male teachers has declined.

Previous research has shown that the number of part-time university professors has been increasing. In the past part-time faculty tended to be younger with lower educational qualifications than their full-time colleagues. Now, however, a small but growing number of part-timers are older professors with many years of tenure. College and university professors 55 and older represented 25.5% of the part-time faculty in 2005, double the proportion of 13.1% in 1999.

Part-time work and contract work arrangements appear to have surfaced as an alternative to retirement for many older professors. This may be an area of growing interest as close to a third of university professors were 55 and older in 2005.

Data sources, definitions and limitations

This article uses data from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) from 1999 to 2005.

Educators are defined as elementary or secondary school teachers and college or university professors. They were 25 years or older and were employed in one of the following National Occupation Classification (NOC-S 2001) categories, in their main job during the reference week in which the monthly LFS data were collected:

E111 University professors
E121 College and other vocational Instructors
E130 Elementary/secondary teacher n.e.c (not elsewhere classified)
E131 Secondary school teachers
E132 Elementary school and kindergarten teachers

Both private sector and public sector educators are included in this study. Educational counselors (E133), principals (A323), instructors and teachers of persons with disabilities (E214), post-secondary research or teaching assistants (E112) are not included in the study.

1999 was chosen as the first year of the study because E130 elementary/secondary n.e.c was added then. This category is comprised of a sizeable group of teachers who could not be classified as either elementary or secondary.

Other Statistics Canada studies, such as Summary Public School Indicators for the Provinces and Territories, 1997-1998 to 2003-2004 define educators more broadly to include principals, vice-principals and professional non-teaching staff such as guidance counsellors. In the NOC-S 2001, “Teachers and Professors” grouped under E1 also include postsecondary teaching and research assistants as well as educational counsellors. As well, other studies may focus solely on public school teachers and exclude private schools.

This may explain the difference between the number of estimated employed teachers and professors in this study and those in other studies. For further information consult the National Occupation Classification.

Weekly hours and wages

To gain a better understanding of the actual hours that teachers and professors work above the usual paid weekly hours listed in their contracts, actual hours was used to capture the time they worked on lesson planning, supervising, marking assignments and the like.

Wages are reported in the most convenient way chosen by the survey respondents. For standardization purpose, the wages are converted into weekly wages using the usual paid weekly hours.

Unpaid overtime

Unpaid over-time is calculated using usual hours of paid work. For example, with elementary and secondary teachers the usual paid weekly hours in their contracts provides a base to calculate extra hours worked.

Please consult the Guide to the Labour Force Survey for further details on concepts and definitions.

Annual averages

To attain better employment estimates for elementary school teachers and secondary school teachers as well as all occupations, a 10-month annual average, based on the calendar year, was calculated to exclude July and August. For college and university teachers an eight-month average was calculated to exclude May to August.

References

Blouin, Patric, Courchesne, Marie-Jose and Isabelle Thorny Summary Public School Indicators for the Provinces and Territories, 1997-1998 to 2003-2004 Research Paper, Culture, Tourism and the Centre for Education Statistics, Statistics Canada. August 2006. Catalogue no. 81-595-MIE2006044

Galln, Verna, Karlenzig Bruce and Isoble Tamney. Teacher workload and work life in Saskatchewan. Education Quarterly Review, (Statistics Canada, Catalogue no. 81-003-XPB), vol.2. no.4: 49-58.

Guppy, Neil and Scott Davies. Labour market dynamics in the teaching profession. Education Quarterly Review, 1996 (Statistics Canada, Catalogue no. 81-003-XPB) vol. 3, no.4: 33-43.

King, A.J.C and Peart, M.J. Teachers in Canada: Their Work and Quality of Life. Published for the Canadian Teachers' Federation. Kingston: Social Program Evaluation Group, Queen's University, 1992. 208 p.

Lee, Judy, 1993. Women in academiaa growing minority. Perspectives on Labour and Income (Statistics Canada, Catalogue no. 75-001-XWE) vol. 5 no.1 (Spring): 24-30.

Marshall, Katherine. November 2000. “Part-time by choice.” Perspectives on Labour and Income (Statistics Canada, Catalogue no. 75-001-XWE) vol.1, no.2: 5-10.

Naylor, Charlie and Anne C. Shaefer. Teacher workload and stress: A British Columbia perspective. Education Quarterly Review, (Statistics Canada, Catalogue no. 81-003-XPB), vol. 8. no.3: 33-36.

Omiecinski, Teresa. 2003. Hiring of part-time university faculty on the increase. Education Quarterly Review, (Education Quarterly Review, (Statistics Canada, Catalogue no. 81-003-XPB), vol.9. no.3: 9-14.

Ornstein, Michael, Stewart, Penni and Janice Drakich. The status of women faculty in Canadian universities Education Quarterly Review (Statistics Canada, Catalogue no. 81-003-XPB) vol 5. no.2: 9-29.

Schembari, Patricia. 1994. Teacher workload in elementary and secondary schools Education Quarterly Review, (Statistics Canada, Catalogue no. 81-003-XPB), vol.1. no.3: 11-16.

Statistics Canada and Council of Ministers of Education. 2003. Report of the Pan-Canadian Education Indicators Program 2003. Statistics Canada, Catalogue no. 81-582-XIE number 3.

Statistics Canada and Council of Ministers of Education, Canada. 2005. Education indicators in Canada: Report of the Pan-Canadian Education Indicators Program. Statistics Canada, Catalogue no. 81-582-XIE. Ottawa. Updated June 26, 2006.

Sussman, Deborah and Lahouria Yssaad. February 2005. The rising profile of women academics. Perspectives on Labour and Income (Statistics Canada, Catalogue no. 75-001-XPE) vol.17, no.4 (Winter): 6-19.

Tremblay, Alain. 1997. Are we headed toward a teacher surplus or a teacher shortage? Education Quarterly Review (Statistics Canada, Catalogue no. 81-003-XPB) vol. 4, no.1: 53-70.

Notes

  1. Full-time university enrolment jumped 18% from the 1997-1998 to 2002-2003 school year. As well, in 2002-2003 Ontario dropped grade 13 from its public school curriculum. This resulted in a double cohort of students entering university for the first time. Source: Statistics Canada and Council of Ministers of Education, Canada. 2005. Education indicators in Canada: Report of the Pan-Canadian Education Indicators Program. Catalogue number 81-582-XIE. Ottawa. Updated June 26, 2006.

  2. The recent significant growth in employment of university professors follows a notable decline for most of the 1990s (Statistics Canada, University and College Academic Staff System).

  3. University revenues have increased from 1999 to 2005 from tuition fees and transfers from government. Statistics Canada, CANSIM Table 385-0007 University and college revenue and expenditures.

  4. Summary of Public School Indicators for the Provinces and Territories, 1997-1998 to 2003-2004. (Statistics Canada, Catalogue no. 81-595-MIE No.044). p. 11.

  5. King (1992).

  6. Naylor and Shaefer (2002).

  7. Usual hours refers to an employee’s normal paid or contract hours, not counting any overtime.

  8. Actual hours refers to the number of hours actually worked by the respondent during the reference week, including paid and unpaid hours.

  9. The Labour Force Survey captures information on full-time or part-time status and industry and occupation only for a worker’s main job.

  10. Omiecinski (2003).

Tables:

Table 1: University professors saw three times the growth of educators in general
Level of instruction 1999 2005 2005 - 1999 growth
Thousands Percent Thousands Percent Percent
Total Employed 457 100.0 502 100.0 9.9
Elementary / Secondary 341 74.7 371 74.0 8.8
College 71 15.6 73 14.5 2.7
University 45 9.8 58 11.5 29.6
Source: Labour Force Survey 1999 and 2005

Table 2: Characteristics of educators in 2005
    Educators 2005
All occu
pations
Total Educators Elementary / Secondary College University
Total (in thousands) 10,502 502 371 73 58
  Percent
Men 51.9 34.5 28.4 45.3 59.5
Women 48.1 65.5 71.5 54.7 40.5
Both sexes  
25 to 54 years 86.1 84.5 87.4 81.4 70.1
25 to 34 years 27.2 27.0 30.3 19.9 15.1
35 to 44 years 30.7 27.8 28.3 26.6 26.1
45 to 54 years 28.2 29.7 28.8 34.9 28.7
55 and older 13.9 15.5 12.6 18.6 29.9
Average age (years) 42 45 42 45 47
Average tenure (years)1 9 11 11 10 11
Education  
Less than university degree 75.0 17.2 14.9 37.0 7.4
University bachelor's degree 17.2 51.9 62.6 30.5 10.0
Above bachelor's degree 7.7 30.9 22.5 32.6 82.4
Work arrangements  
Full-time 87.6 79.1 79.7 73.6 82.5
Part-time 12.4 20.9 20.3 26.4 17.5
Permanent 90.3 79.5 82.1 75.1 68.3
Non-permanent 9.7 20.5 17.9 24.9 31.7
1 Tenure is calculated from the most recent job
Source: Labour Force Survey 2005

Table 3: Characteristics of educators in 1999
    Educators 1999
All occu
pations
Total Educators Elementary / Secondary College University
Total (in thousands) 9,300 457 341 71 45
  Percent
Men 52.4 37.7 31.1 50.1 68.8
Women 47.6 62.3 69.0 49.9 31.2
Both sexes  
25 to 54 years 90.3 89.5 92.4 88.9 68.6
25 to 34 years 30.2 25.1 27.2 23.6 10.8
35 to 44 years 34.7 27.1 26.4 31.1 26.5
45 to 54 years 25.4 37.2 38.7 34.0 31.2
55 and older 9.7 10.5 7.6 11.1 31.6
Average age (years) 41 44 42 43 48
Average tenure (years)1 9 12 12 10 14
Education  
Less than university degree 78.3 14.9 12.2 34.5 5.2E
University bachelor's degree 14.9 53.7 63.5 34.5 9.9
Above bachelor's degree 6.8 31.3 24.4 30.8 85.2
Work arrangements  
Full-time 87.4 80.8 79.9 78.6 91.3
Part-time 12.6 19.2 20.1 21.4 8.7
Permanent 91.3 84.6 85.8 79.0 84.5
Non-permanent 8.7 15.4 14.2 21.0 15.5
1 Tenure is calculated from the most recent job
E Use with caution
Source: Labour Force Survey 1999

Table 4: Average weekly hours, full-time educators, 2005
 
Actual hours Unpaid over-time
Elementary / Secondary 42.9 7.6
College 38.6 2.8
University 46.4 5.5
All occupation 39.8 1.4
Source: Labour Force Survey 2005

Table 5: Percentage of contract and part-time educators
  Teachers employed non-permanent Teachers employed part-time
1999 2005 1999 2005
Percent
Elementary / Secondary 14.2 17.9 20.1 20.3
College 21.0 24.9 21.4 26.4
University 15.5 31.7 8.7 17.5
Source: Labour Force Survey 1999 and 2005

Table 6: Average weekly wages, full-time educators 1999-2005
 
1999 2005 1999-2005
Weekly wages Weekly wages Change in weekly wages
Dollars Percent
Elementary / Secondary 916 1,046 14.3
College 905 1,054 16.4
University 1,253 1,435 14.5
All occupation 717 847 18.1
Source: Labour Force Survey 1999 and 2005


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