Staff at higher education institutions: August 2022 to July 2023

Main points

• Overall, there has been a 5% rise in the number of staff at Welsh universities from 20,740 in 2021/22 to 21,815 in 2022/23.
• Staff numbers were higher in 2022/23 than they were in 2021/22 for all institutions (excluding The University of Wales, central functions).
• The institutions with the biggest percentage increases in staff numbers were the University of Wales, Trinity Saint David (13% higher than 2021/22), Cardiff Metropolitan University (11% higher than 2021/22) and the University of South Wales (8% higher than 2021/22).
• Cardiff University employed the most staff (7,075) followed by Swansea University (3,860).
• Wrexham University was the smallest university in terms of staff numbers, employing 535 in 2022/23.
• Just under half of all staff (49%) were on academic contracts.
• 64% of academic contracts were full-time and 73% of non-academic contracts were full-time.
• Of those who weren’t on an academic contract, 4,895 (44%) were in professional or technical occupations,  3,725 (34%) were in administrative and secretarial occupations, 1,015 (9%) were managers, directors or senior officials and 680 (6%) were in elementary occupations.
• Where the staff members’ sex was known, 55% of staff positions were filled by women. However, they held 48% of academic contracts. Two thirds of all part-time staff were female (66%).
• 12% of academic teaching staff reported that they were able to teach through Welsh and of those, only 45% were known to be teaching in Welsh.

Staff numbers are calculated using the full-person equivalent for staff at 1 December of the reporting year. Staff on atypical contracts are not included.