The OECD Directorate for Education and Skills helps countries compare their education policies and experiences, and learn from each other through large scale assessment and surveys and comparative policy analysis. This policy papers series presents analysis for policy makers, practitioners and researchers on a wide range of policy issues covered at OECD: from pre-primary to higher education, from policy design to implementation, from student performance and well-being, to teacher training and practices, to school resources.
The evidence review examines the state of academic careers in higher education systems in OECD countries, providing an overview of available data, research evidence and examples of policy and practice. Key concerns for academics and policy makers include the working conditions of academics, an increasing reliance on precarious and casual contracts, high workloads and negative impacts on work-life balance. Career incentives currently tend to focus on – and favour – research output, often side-lining teaching, engagement, and other duties. Initial academic training generally fails to prepare academics comprehensively for their roles, and more continuous professional learning will likely be needed to support academics to exploit the potential of increasingly digitalised learning environments. Although flexibility in academic career paths has been promoted in some higher education systems, academics tend to remain in academia, with limited inter-sectoral mobility. The review highlights the persistent under-representation of – and challenges confronting – women and marginalised groups in academia. Despite the growth of international mobility and collaboration, the participation of academics in internalisation activities varies considerably within and between institutions and across higher education systems. Furthermore, a troubling decline in academic freedom over the past decade raises substantial concerns.
