Where has the ‘precariat’ done the heavy academic lifting? Examining detailed data on academic casual employment in Australian universities

This study examines patterns of academic casual employment in Australian universities using detailed data from 21,784 units of study taught across 12 universities, alongside detailed payroll records that capture over 2.3 million paid academic casual hours. The analysis focuses on the proportion of teaching undertaken by casual staff, average paid hours, and prevalence of high-hour casual employment, to reveal significant variations in their utilisation across disciplines. The analysis shows that, in some fields of education, there are academic casuals who teach very high numbers of hours and often have long periods of employment. This study contributes to the ongoing debate about precarious employment in academia by providing empirical evidence on the nature and extent of casual academic work across different disciplines. It highlights the need for tailored policies that acknowledge the diverse patterns of casual employment in higher education.