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UNSW is planning to cut nearly 500 jobs . Photo : Supplied last week and “ an unknown number of casuals ”. ANU is one of the largest employers in Canberra .
Hanging on
Australian universities are set for what might be the most calamitous year of their lives .
By Wade Zaglas
Having hedged their bets on the
reliability of the international student market for some time now , COVID-19 and the attendant closure of international borders have precipitated a state of “ withdrawal as their flood of tuition fees slows to a trickle ”.
Indeed , according to figures provided by the Australian Bureau of Statistics , 143,810 international students arrived to study in July 2019 .
This year , fewer than 40 have come back into the country .
The international student market was lucrative , although it only made up roughly one-third of student enrolments in the country . In paying higher upfront fees , the international student market contributed “ a far bigger piece of the revenue pie ”.
The impact the pandemic has had on the sector is both significant and disconcerting . According to an article in Business Insider
Australia , top-ranked sandstone universities such as the University of Sydney and the University of Melbourne face billion-dollar losses . Early modelling also estimates that the sector will lose $ 19 billion over three years .
With such huge revenue losses , a raft of measures has a been introduced by universities across Australia to ensure their survival . These include hiring freezes , delayed or cancelled wage increases , travel bans and the jettisoning of contract and casual staff .
Universities Australia has estimated that 21,000 jobs could disappear by the end of the year . The National Tertiary
Education Union ( NTEU ) “ has been tracking redundancies closely and puts the total number of job losses at more than 11,100 so far , but suspects the reality is far worse ”.
“ Part of the problem is that the whole area of casual employment is completely opaque ,” NTEU spokesperson Michael Evans told Business Insider Australia .
Here ’ s an overview of the measures some universities are taking to survive , according to the publication .
University of New South Wales The university has close to 500 job cuts on the table , including 265 forced redundancies . This represents rough 7.5 per cent of its staff . UNSW has also signalled it will cut 25 per cent of management and consolidate faculties to save money .
University of Technology , Sydney While UTS ’ s plans and cuts have not been finalised , the union has estimated that “ as many as 600 full-time jobs … could be axed on top of an unknown number of fixed-term staff ”. International students reportedly account for more than 40 per cent of the university ’ s annual revenue of $ 470 million .
Charles Sturt University One of Australia ’ s largest regional universities , it has cut or altered more than 100 of its courses to curb costs and reportedly has “ 100 full-time jobs on the chopping board ”.
Macquarie University While no official statements have been made , the union believes there are several hundred positions in danger of being cut .
Australian National University ANU has cut roughly 465 staff positions , which include 250 voluntary redundancies
Curtin University Perth ’ s largest university has plans to save $ 30 million in voluntary or forced redundancies . While those arrangements are yet to be finalised , the university has indicated 250 or more staff could lose their positions .
Deakin University While Deakin has announced 300 forced redundancies and cut 100 other vacant positions , the union warns it ’ s aware of nearly 2,500 casual job losses at the university .
University of Wollongong The National Tertiary Education Union ’ s ( NTEU ) negotiations to limit job losses at UoW have been successful , with the university announcing it will now make 200 positions redundant rather than the planned 400 .
La Trobe University The union knows of 2,518 casual job losses at La Trobe . On top of that , nearly 240 voluntary redundancies have been made , the equivalent of 160 full-time roles , while there are anywhere between 215 and 415 more positions expected to go .
Monash University Melbourne ’ s Monash University is expected to cut 754 jobs , comprising 277 redundancies , 238 fixed-term employees and 239 casuals .
Victoria University While Victoria University is yet to release its full figures , it has cut 104 casual positions and is seeking 100 redundancies to keep itself afloat .
University of Queensland Queensland ’ s top-ranked university has fared better than most so far , with 66 redundancies made , the majority coming from the UQ ’ s English language centre .
Charles Darwin University Charles Darwin University is the only university in the Northern Territory . While nothing has been confirmed , reports are 100 positions are “ likely ” to be cut . ■
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