Navigating The Challenges in Australia's Tertiary Education

The tertiary education sector in Australia significantly contributes to the local economy and the country's global representation.

FREMONT, CA:  Tertiary education encounters many difficulties, such as increased temporary, contract, and "insecure" labor, pervasive noncompliance, and pay theft. These problems could be caused by the variety of jobs colleges have and the cyclical nature of their business. Even though the immediate effects of COVID-19 are no longer a concern, higher education has recovered from the chaos of 2020–2022. However, change isn't always simple, and fundamental problems must be addressed. For the industry to succeed, these problems must be resolved.

Temporary, Contract, and Casual Talent

The number of temporary or contract employees in higher education has risen compared to full-time employees during the previous 20 years. This has resulted in problems including inadequate payment systems, a decentralized HR department, noncompliance with worker rights, and bad corporate governance. Workers have been misclassified. As a result, corporate agreements have not been followed, and compliance risks have escalated. 2,000–3,000 contracts for contingent hiring are executed per term in certain institutions, which leads to errors, oversights, and discrepancies. Wages, superannuation, and other statutory entitlements are also routinely underpaid. A crisis has emerged in the industry due to the growing employment of contractors and non-permanent employees; many colleges face millions in unpaid entitlements.

Workers' Noncompliance

In the tertiary industry, noncompliance is a multifaceted problem involving temporary and permanent talent. The requirement for an authorized Working With Children Check (WWCC), which can take up to four weeks, and the possibility of employees beginning at a postsecondary institution without one are among the factors that lead to noncompliance. Serious consequences may follow, such as incarceration, harm to one's reputation, or even the dismissal of instructors in the middle of a semester. Additionally, colleges risk losing talented students in the middle of a semester and paying hefty fines if visas and eligibility to work in Australia are not completed. Australia's postsecondary institutions face challenges in comprehending the complete extent of contingent talent due to decentralized HR activities, and the presence of 'recognized' academics and professionals may also provide concerns. Academic visitors may not have the same rights to work as local workers, making compliance more difficult. These compliance obstacles may become extremely challenging if a university seeks to meet established educational standards and goals.

Planning of the Workforce

One of the biggest problems in universities is workforce planning, frequently done haphazardly at the last minute. Inadequate planning procedures result in 24-hour shifts and put pressure on talent acquisition and HR staff to swiftly handle thousands of contingent contracts. These organizations have a wide range of responsibilities, which makes it difficult to conduct compliant, effective, and high-quality hiring. Australian universities are not very interested in or able to implement different workforce planning phases, making it challenging to achieve strategic goals. Universities must update procedures, streamline intricate employment contracts, eliminate internal silos, and implement high-quality people management programs that are suited to various student cohorts to enhance operations, enhance their reputation, and accomplish strategic goals.