66% of research staff on insecure contracts

Support for Research Staff 2023

31 January 2024

UCU's Support for Research Staff report lays bare the extent of shocking 'gig-economy' style employment practices at some of the most prestigious universities in the UK.

The report is based on freedom of information (FOI) requests to the 103 UK higher education institutions that employ at least 20 research-only staff and/or where research staff made up at least 5% of the academic staff, combined with Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) data on research staff terms of employment. The results, published for the first time, paint a damning picture of the sector's employment practices. Key findings include:

around two in three research staff are employed on fixed term contracts, including 88% of research staff at the University of Oxford, 96% at King's College London, 80% at the University of Manchester and 96% at London School of Economics
nearly a third of universities (30%) were unable to say whether research staff were redeployed at the end of their contract. Of those institutions that did respond, redeployment levels were as low as zero
only one employer offered enhanced paid notice periods to research only staff on fixed-term contracts
most employers paid only statutory redundancy pay to research staff dismissed at the end of a fixed-term contract.

Read the full report: Support for research staff: 2023 FOI report [396kb]

Headline findings by institution

*UCU is aware that some employers use open ended contracts to employ research staff but include an identifiable 'at risk' date in the contract. These will not show as fixed-term contracts in the HESA data but we believe they offer little benefit over a fixed-term contract for most staff. Caution is therefore advised in reviewing the HESA figures.

Institution	Total number of research only staff	Terms of employment - fixed-term
Leeds Arts University	5	0%	Share
University College London	3,930	2%	Share
City, University of London	140	6%	Share
The University of Aberdeen	400	8%	Share
The University of Winchester	10	11%	Share
Glasgow School of Art	10	17%	Share
Solent University	5	17%	Share
The University of Bristol	1,410	17%	Share
The University of Lancaster	455	19%	Share
SRUC	135	22%	Share
Ravensbourne University London	5	25%	Share
University of Cumbria	5	25%	Share
The University of Glasgow	1,310	25%	Share
Royal College of Art	20	27%	Share
The University of Northampton	10	30%	Share
Sheffield Hallam University	195	37%	Share
The University of Dundee	565	41%	Share
Staffordshire University	10	44%	Share
Canterbury Christ Church University	35	45%	Share
The University of Huddersfield	135	46%	Share
University of Worcester	15	46%	Share
University of the Highlands and Islands	35	47%	Share
Courtauld Institute of Art	10	50%	Share
The National Film and Television School	5	50%	Share
The University of Central Lancashire	120	50%	Share
University of Bedfordshire	30	51%	Share
The University of York	760	51%	Share
Bournemouth University	50	53%	Share
Cardiff Metropolitan University	20	54%	Share
Royal Conservatoire of Scotland	5	54%	Share
Middlesex University	35	55%	Share
Robert Gordon University	60	55%	Share
The University of Leicester	495	55%	Share
Bath Spa University	5	58%	Share
The Institute of Cancer Research	600	59%	Share
The University of Cambridge	4,130	59%	Share
The University of East London	30	60%	Share
The University of Westminster	60	60%	Share
The University of Brighton	135	62%	Share
The University of Leeds	1,150	63%	Share
Aberystwyth University	140	65%	Share
Cranfield University	270	65%	Share
The Open University	135	65%	Share
Cardiff University	1,010	66%	Share
Newcastle University	1,050	66%	Share
University of South Wales	70	66%	Share
University of Suffolk	10	66%	Share
Guildhall School of Music and Drama	5	67%	Share
Norwich University of the Arts	5	67%	Share
Royal College of Music	5	67%	Share
University of the Arts, London	5	67%	Share
The University of Wolverhampton	55	67%	Share
De Montfort University	15	68%	Share
The Manchester Metropolitan University	140	68%	Share
The University of Sheffield	1,500	68%	Share
Glasgow Caledonian University	100	69%	Share
The University of Bradford	35	70%	Share
The University of Exeter	1,005	70%	Share
Edge Hill University	10	71%	Share
Heriot-Watt University	290	71%	Share
Swansea University	475	71%	Share
The University of Greenwich	65	71%	Share
University of Hertfordshire	45	71%	Share
The University of Sussex	405	71%	Share
The University of Edinburgh	2,080	73%	Share
University of Wales Trinity Saint David	40	73%	Share
Kingston University	30	74%	Share
Leeds Beckett University	10	74%	Share
Birmingham City University	35	75%	Share
London Business School	5	75%	Share
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine	155	75%	Share
The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama	5	75%	Share
University of Chester	15	75%	Share
University of Nottingham	1,175	75%	Share
University of St Mark and St John	5	75%	Share
The University of St. Andrews	425	75%	Share
Edinburgh Napier University	70	76%	Share
Falmouth University	10	76%	Share
The University of Stirling	190	76%	Share
University of Derby	5	77%	Share
University of Gloucestershire	35	77%	Share
Bishop Grosseteste University	10	78%	Share
The University of Chichester	10	78%	Share
Anglia Ruskin University	30	79%	Share
The University of Lincoln	110	79%	Share
University of London (Institutes and activities)	15	79%	Share
The University of Manchester	2,060	80%	Share
The University of Strathclyde	570	80%	Share
The University of Reading	390	81%	Share
The University of Southampton	880	81%	Share
Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine	2,430	82%	Share
Keele University	100	82%	Share
Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh	35	82%	Share
The University of Hull	110	82%	Share
University of Plymouth	220	82%	Share
The University of Birmingham	1,455	83%	Share
Liverpool John Moores University	145	84%	Share
The University of East Anglia	370	84%	Share
The University of Surrey	395	84%	Share
Teesside University	65	85%	Share
The University of Warwick	830	85%	Share
Loughborough University	300	86%	Share
The University of Kent	215	86%	Share
The University of Liverpool	900	86%	Share
Bangor University	200	87%	Share
The University of Essex	130	87%	Share
Aston University	195	88%	Share
London South Bank University	45	88%	Share
The University of Oxford	4,810	88%	Share
The Royal Veterinary College	55	89%	Share
University of Durham	425	89%	Share
Birkbeck College	120	90%	Share
Royal Holloway and Bedford New College	140	90%	Share
The University of Portsmouth	10	91%	Share
The University of Salford	35	91%	Share
Abertay University	25	92%	Share
St George's, University of London	100	92%	Share
Ulster University	245	92%	Share
The University of the West of Scotland	35	92%	Share
Brunel University London	150	93%	Share
Oxford Brookes University	30	94%	Share
Queen Mary University of London	805	94%	Share
Queen's University Belfast	685	94%	Share
SOAS University of London	50	95%	Share
University of Northumbria at Newcastle	165	95%	Share
King's College London	1,890	96%	Share
London School of Economics and Political Science	465	96%	Share
The University of Bath	315	96%	Share
Goldsmiths College	60	98%	Share
The University of Sunderland	10	98%	Share
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine	445	99%	Share
The Arts University Bournemouth	5	100%	Share
Buckinghamshire New University	5	100%	Share
Roehampton University	10	100%	Share
Royal Northern College of Music	5	100%	Share
University of the West of England, Bristol	5	100%	Share

Last updated: 1 February 2024

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