A Snapshot of Precarious Academic Work in Canada

Abstract

In much of the developed work, tendencies associated with neoliberalism, the “corporatization” of the university, and cuts to government funding have led to a growing reliance on contingent or “non-regular” faculty. Precariously employed, these non-regular faculty constitute a reserve of low-paid and marginalized academic workers, and an increase in the number of doctorates granted each year in Canada guarantees a continuous supply of highly exploitable workers. While many books, articles, and blog posts discuss this phenomenon in the United States, less information is available for Canada. This paper will measure the extent of the reliance on precariously employed contract faculty across Canada.