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IT employees at universities are experiencing burnout, increased workload and dipping budgets, according to a new report.
Educause, a nonprofit focused on the intersection of higher education and technology, released a report Monday focused on IT leadership and workforce. It is part of a series that previously reviewed cybersecurity and privacy, plus teaching and learning.
Over two-thirds (70 percent) of respondents said their workload was at least “somewhat” excessive, according to the survey, which polled 411 people. Nearly the same amount (68 percent) reported their workload had increased over the last year. Unsurprisingly, 58 percent reported experiencing at least some burnout in the last 12 months. Female respondents, in particular, reported more burnout. Perhaps because of this, they also were significantly more likely to prefer remote work.
“In short, for some institutions staffing and budget challenges are eroding quality and well-being from within and perhaps portend deeper concerns for the institution’s long-term success and survival,” the Educause report stated.
There was a relatively even split among respondents when it came to discussing budgets: 37 percent said their budgets have decreased, while 33 percent have seen increased budgets and 30 percent reported no changes to their budget.
Roughly half of smaller institutions (those with 4,000 students or fewer) saw more budget cuts compared to a quarter of larger institutions (those with 8,000 students or more), which bled into the ability to create and fill new positions. Around 60 percent of institutions experiencing staffing issues said those issues had “at least some” negative impact on their unit’s ability to maintain its services.
Respondents from smaller institutions also had heavier workloads, reporting an average of eight areas of focus compared to respondents from large universities, who reported having roughly six areas.
Administrative departments saw the biggest drop in IT job positions, with 16 percent reporting cuts, according to the survey. However, 23 percent of respondents said their administration added positions internally, with another 18 percent outsourcing administrative positions.
Library departments saw the largest growth, with 33 percent seeing an uptick in jobs and only 8 percent seeing eliminated jobs.
However, regardless of the institution size, nearly every respondent (94 percent) reported that at least one of their departments saw a large increase in responsibility over the last year. Information services and security saw the biggest jump in workloads, with 45 percent reporting increased time demands, followed by data, analytics and business intelligence (29 percent) and administrative roles (27 percent).
Education and training, on the other hand, the biggest dip in responsibility, with 26 percent reporting that the area saw a decline in time demands. The evaluation of new technologies followed, with 19 percent reporting it has had a dip in focus.
While only 10 percent of IT professionals are concerned about being laid off, roughly one-third are worried about broader layoffs across their institutions, and 20 percent are concerned about layoffs within their departments. However, over the years it has become easier to find and keep talent, according to the report. In 2023, 56 percent of respondents were able to fill IT positions, compared to 2021’s 36 percent. Around two-thirds of respondents (66 percent) were able to retain those employees, up from 2021’s 44 percent.
