New Round of Budget Cuts Hitting Personnel
Inside Higher Ed
Emma Whitford
October 7, 2020
Fall has so far brought a flood of furlough and layoff announcements at colleges and universities large and small, private and public.
They include more than 200 furloughs at Smith College, 264 full- and part-time furloughs at Pomona College, and dozens of part-time furloughs at Scripps College. Boise State University furloughed some of its athletics employees, and the University of Utah’s athletic employees all face at least short-term furloughs. The list goes on, and these latest announcements follow previously announced furloughs and layoffs across the country.
Last month, employment in state government education dropped by 49,000 jobs and employment in private education fell by 69,000 jobs, according to employment data released last week by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Since February, the private education sector has lost more than 350,000 jobs. State government education is mostly publicly owned colleges and universities. Under the government’s classification system, the private education line includes employment at schools, colleges, universities and training centers.
