Stratification, centralisation and the REF – the changing face of the UK university workforce

Drawing on an analysis of HESA and case study data, Andrew Jenkins and Alison Wolf, explore the changing composition of the workforce in the UK higher education sector. Trends towards increased professionalisation and centralisation of roles, as well as specialisation in academic roles split between teaching and research were identified. They argue, rather than reflecting discrete strategies, these changes instead largely stem from external influences on higher education funding and evaluation.