Averting Faculty Shortages; A Discussion Paper on the Canadian Academic Labour Market in the 1990s.

A study was done to lay the foundation for a rigorous analysis and assessment of the functioning of the Canadian academic labor market and to begin to explore systematically the dynamic of faculty renewal and replacement. The study used data from Statistics Canada and investigated the functioning and prospects of the Canadian academic labor market at the aggregate level of total full-time faculty. Analysis was at the "system" rather than discipline level with projections to the year 2000. The findings indicated that for the period 1990 to 2000 annual faculty requirements are projected to increase faster than the number of doctoral graduates. At the aggregate level, critical shortages will develop in selected disciplines particularly in natural sciences and engineering. Furthermore, anticipated faculty shortages in the United States could exacerbate the projected Canadian shortages by drawing Canadians to positions out of the country. The study's projections suggest that Canadian universities must maintain or increase their share of doctoral graduates, expand doctoral programs especially in the natural sciences, and reduce the number of faculty who leave academic faculties for reasons other than retirement. An appendix contains 18 tables and a bibliography lists 18 items. (JB)