The IT Workforce in Higher Education, 2019

Published:
Briefs, Case Studies, Papers, Reports
Author(s) and Contributors:
Author(s): D. Christopher Brooks Joseph Galanek Dana C. Gierdowski Mark McCormack
Source(s) and Collection(s):
Sources(s): EDUCAUSE Research Collection(s): Research Hub Research Interactive Graphics and Infographics Research Report Survey Instruments
ParentTopics:
Accessibility CIO Organizational Culture IT Organization IT Workforce Development Leadership and Management Leadership Development Professional Development

The Higher Education IT Workforce Landscape, 2019

This research focuses on the evolving IT workforce in higher education and builds on previous ECAR reports to provide a longitudinal perspective on important trends.

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Key Findings

Through survey responses from more than 1,500 IT professionals in higher education, this study highlights a number of important findings (several shown below) that will be useful for technology and higher education professionals in developing the workforce and advancing their careers.

Gender

Women continue to be underrepresented in the higher education IT workforce, but their numbers have increased in recent years. Read more >

Bar graph showing the approximate percentage of men and women in each organizational level. Overall: 60% men and 40% women CIOs: 75% men and 25% women Managers: 60% men and 40% women Staff: 55% men and 45% women


Generations

The higher education IT workforce appears to be getting older. Read more >

Bar graph showing the approximate generational distribution in each organizational level. Overall: 40% Baby Boomers, 48% Gen Xers and 12% Millennials CIOs: 55% Baby Boomers, 42% Gen Xers and 3% Millennials Managers: 40% Baby Boomers, 50% Gen Xers and 10% Millennials Staff: 35% Baby Boomers, 45% Gen Xers and 20% Millennials


Ethnicity

The higher education IT workforce remains predominantly white. Read more >

Graph showing the breakdown of IT professionals by ethnicity. White = 83% Nonwhite = 17% (made up of 5% Asian/Pacific Islander, 3% Black/African American, 3% Hispanic/Latino and 6% Other/multiple)


Disabilities/Impairments

The percentage of higher education IT employees who have disabilities and impairments is substantial. Read more >

Bar graph showing the approximate percentage of higher education IT employees reporting various disabilities or impairments. A sensory impairment (vision or hearing) = 27% A learning disability (e.g., ADHD, dyslexia) = 22% A mobility impairment = 21% Another disability or impairment = 20% A mental health disorder = 15% Not specified = 12%


Professional Development

The professional development activities that most contributed to professional growth were analyzing data for strategic decision-making and attending a conference on higher education in IT. Read more >

Column 1 - CIOs: Analyzing data to help inform strategic decisions. Attending a conference focused on higher education IT. Column 2 - Managers: Analyzing data to help inform strategic decisions. Attending a conference focused on higher education IT. Column 3 - Staff: Analyzing a conference focused on higher education IT. Analyzing data to help inform strategic decisions.


Strategic Reporting Relationships

CIOs who have an appointment to a president's or a chancellor's cabinet more frequently engage in shaping their institution's academic directions and strategic activities than their counterparts who do not have those appointments. Read more >

CIOs: Rank 1 - Chief information security officer (CISO): 89%. Rank 2 - Chief financial officer (CFO): 75%. Rank 3 - Chief academic officer (CAO)/provost: 63%. Rank 4 - Registrar: 60%. Rank 5 - Director of institutional research: 59%. Managers: Rank 1 - Chief information security officer (CISO): 58%. Rank 2 - Registrar: 32%. Rank 3 - Chief data officer (CDO): 26%. Rank 4 - Director of libraries: 24%. Rank 5 - Director of institutional research: 21%.


Thumbnail of IT Workforce infographic

 

Infographic

Download the 2019 Workforce infographic now. The graphic is publicly accessible.

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Reports and Supporting Materials

Related Resources