Effects of the economic crisis on new university professors

Abstract

This work describes the employment situation of new professors joining the teaching staff of the University of Cadiz over the past 5 years. It examines the situation of this group in 2015, a time in which the economic crisis affected both Spain and the university system, comparing this situation to that of 2019. It is a quantitative study using an on-line questionnaire that was distributed in both 2015 and 2019. Clearly, the university’s economic situation conditioned the professional development of these professors who carry out both research and teaching tasks. For years, the crisis stalled the publication of stable job offers for these new professors, preventing them from having an optimistic outlook with regard to their professional future. This study suggests that the current situation may be creating a sense of burnout in the teaching staff, perhaps due to the university’s failure to intervene in the increased depersonalization and harsh treatment of its students. Given this situation, universities may be turning into a breeding ground for pathologies related to teachers’ malaise.