Gig economy

A UCU report suggests that most research-only staff are on precarious contracts

This morning, the University and College Union publishes a report saying that 66 per cent of research-only staff in UK universities are employed on fixed-term contracts—a figure the UCU suggests has changed little in the past decade.

If The Sunday Times thinks that the open and acknowledged process of recruiting international students via agents is higher education’s dirty little secret, it is wrong. Two-thirds of research-only staff being on precarious contracts might be closer to the mark.