Two-thirds of Cambridge researchers on temporary contracts

Scale of research precarity at top UK university and its effect on staff laid out in new report

May 31, 2024
Cambridge University students  on the River Cam taking part in the cardboard boat race to celebrate the end of exams to illustrate Two-thirds of Cambridge researchers on temporary contracts
Source: Geoffrey Robinson / Alamy

More than two-thirds of researchers at the University of Cambridge are employed on a fixed-term basis, says a new report that highlights staff unhappiness with job insecurity, modest pay rises and a “culture of overwork”.

Drawing on new internal staff data, the study by Cambridge’s University and College Union (UCU) branch found that 69 per cent of research staff were working on fixed-term contracts, with 13 per cent on contracts lasting 12 months or less.

In some cases, staff contracts were renewed on a recurrent basis, which the union said was “in contradiction to the university’s official fixed-term contract policy, which mandates the conversion of fixed-term contracts to open-ended ones upon the second renewal, except in exceptional circumstances”.

The Cambridge Researchers Survey also found that the number of fixed-term staff – both academic and research – at Cambridge was approaching the level of permanent staff. According to data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (Hesa), 45 per cent of academic and research staff were on fixed-term contracts in 2022-23, that number having risen steadily since 2014-15.

A separate staff survey, which drew 135 responses, gave greater insight into the concerns of those on temporary contracts.

One respondent explained how their “funding is rolling and renewed every year” but “it is often not confirmed until quite late”.

“I often get emails saying that my funding is running out and my leaving date will be a particular day – this is usually extended before this date, but last year I didn’t get official confirmation that it was extended until after the date had passed,” they added.

Another researcher who described themselves as having an “extremely distinguished academic career up to this point” said they would be leaving Cambridge soon because they were “sick of precarious, fixed-term contracts” and did not “have enough savings to keep living beyond my means in academia”, citing high rents in the Cambridge area and childcare costs as contributing reasons for their departure.

A migrant researcher added that precarity had a disproportionate impact on foreign employees, saying that “short-term contracts are especially stressful for people whose visas are tied to our jobs”.

The situation faced by college-based research fellows was also raised, with some living on salaries of less than £30,000, which made them “among the lowest-paid researchers in UK higher education”, the report says.

According to the report’s authors, its findings “reveal significant concerns related to casualisation, job insecurity, excessive workloads and inadequate compensation experienced by researchers at Cambridge University”.

Describing what they call a “culture of overwork”, the study’s authors point to their survey’s finding that 62 per cent of staff said they regularly worked more than their contracted hours, and 26 per cent worked more than 48 hours a week.

A university spokesperson said that “although this survey represents under 3 per cent of research staff, we acknowledge the concerns” in the report and the university was already working to address many of the issues raised.

A review of staff working on fixed-term contracts in 2020-21 had resulted in about 300 staff moving to open-ended contracts, while a “further project is under way, working with the trade unions to review the use of fixed-term contracts at the university and the associated guidance”.

Work on a new academic career pathway for research staff “is in its advanced stages”, and was “intended to help make promotion and recognition for excellence fair, equitable and transparent”.

jack.grove@timeshighereducation.com

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Reader's comments (1)

Although a solution to the immediate problem, rolling contracts are simply kicking the can further down the road, where is the money for those contracts coming from - at a time when some departments are shedding staff or at risk of closing, adding long-term overheads increases overall financial risk, and might lead to some departments becoming hesitant to approve rant applications with post-docs attached, limiting opportunities for doctoral graduates. Going from post-doc into an academic role might be feasible or some postdocs, however general academic roles are more demanding and not all post-docs might be ready to take the step or have skills in the area that the department needs. Real solutions might require reviewing grant funding and the reliance on post-docs in projects. That too could have consequences for PhD student recruitment and training.

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