Written answers

Wednesday, 9 November 2011

Department of Education and Skills

Departmental Research

6:00 pm

Photo of Brendan SmithBrendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Question 92: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he has carried out any research comparing the pay of academic staff here with international academic staff; and if any significant differences exist in salary scales. [33686/11]

Photo of Ruairi QuinnRuairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I refer the deputy to the following document which has been prepared by the Higher Education Authority, and which seeks to outline and compare the salary levels of academic staff in Irish universities with those in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and the USA. Academic Pay Scales in Ireland and Other Countries This note seeks to outline and compare the salary levels of academic staff in Irish universities with those in the UK and elsewhere. The information provided in this note is limited by a number of factors:

It does not benchmark academic salaries against other salaries in the public sector or private sector either in Ireland or other countries;

The salary information provided in the note is based on a straight currency conversion. Such an approach does not provide information on the standard of living that accompanies salary levels in different countries. A study of the purchasing power parity (PPP) would be required to show the relative value of salary levels across different currencies and economies.

Ireland

Under Section 25(4) of the Universities Act 1997, the remuneration, fees, allowances and expenses paid to employees of a university require the approval of the Minister for Education and Skills with the consent of the Minister for Finance.

Professor

The highest academic grade in Irish Universities is Professor and the remuneration for it is set by the Review Body on Higher Remuneration in the Public Sector. The Review Body's Report No. 42 published in September 2007 set out a common salary scale for the grade of Professor and recommended an average increase of 5.5% for it.

The current salary scale (w.e.f. 01/01/2010) for the grade of Professor in Irish Universities is as follows:

1€113,573
2€120,049
3€126,525
4€133,001
5€139,478
6€145,952

Other Academic Grades

There is no common grade or salary structure for remaining academic grades in Irish universities. Therefore, different titles and pay structures are used for what may be similar grades.

Outlined below is a summary of other academic grades in universities and the approximate salary scales that would apply. Salaries are w.e.f. 01/01/2010:

Associate Professor €82,970-€112,759

Senior/Statutory Lecturer €67,071-€100,398

College Lecturer/Lecturer Above Bar €50,807-€81,459

Junior Lecturer/Lecturer Below Bar €35,355-€72,024

It should be noted that historically academic grades in Irish universities are linked to civil and public service grades and therefore received pay increases in line with their public service counterparts.

All academic grades in Irish universities have been in receipt of pay increases as provided for in national pay agreements e.g., Sustaining Progress, Towards 2016. In line with the rest of the public sector, these grades were also subject to reductions in pay w.e.f. 1st January 2010 under the terms of the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Act 2009.

UK

A nationally negotiated single pay spine or scale is in existence for all staff (academic and non-academic) in UK universities. This spine currently has a minimum point of approximately €15,000 and a maximum of €63,000 and would generally apply to lower and middle-range academic grades. However, universities in general may supplement pay rates for each grade in the form of attraction and retention premia where labour market conditions dictate. This would appear to be particularly common for the grade of Professor.

In University College London, the following academic pay levels apply (August 2009) http://www.ucl.ac.uk/hr/salary_scales/final_grades.php:

Lecturer A €37,199-€40,653

Lecturer B €41,872-€50,007

Senior Lecturer €54,644-€59,711

Professor Band 1 Starting at €67,205

Professor Band 2 Starting at €80,606

Professor Band 3 Starting at €124,009

Staff also receive a London allowance of €3,189.

In Queen's University Belfast, the following academic pay levels apply (August 2009)http://www.qub.ac.uk/directorates/HumanResources/PersonnelDepartment/PayandAdvancement/SalaryScales/:

Lecturer and Other Academic Grades €37,287-€67,347

Professor Range 1 €65,871-€69,827

Professor Range 2 €74,483-€98,424

Professor Range 3 €101,070-€114,374

Professor Range 4 €117,044-€129,002

In the University of Greenwich, the following academic pay levels apply (August 2009) http://www.gre.ac.uk/offices/personnel/pay:

Grade AC1 €27,728-€33,105

Grade AC2 €34,099-€39,529

Grade AC3 €40,731-€50,109

Grade AC4 €51,612-€59,833

Grade AC5 €61,650-€73,613

Professors may also receive salaries up to €120,784 as a result of a number of factors e.g., recruitment and retention, merit and contribution.

Staff also receive a London allowance of €3,744.

USA

The following are the average salaries paid to academics in American universities in 2009/10. The information is based on the Annual Report of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) which conducted a survey of salaries across all institutions http://www.aaup.org/NR/rdonlyres/AFB34202-2D42-48B6-9C3B-52EC3D86F605/0/zreport.:

Professor €79,085

Associate €55,125

Assistant €46,410

Instructor €34,280

Lecturer €38,261

No Rank €43,787

These figures exclude additional payments for e.g., summer teaching, administrative stipends,

Canada

The following are the average salaries paid to academics in Canadian universities in 2008/09. The information is based on a research paper prepared for Statistics Canada http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/81-595-m/81-595-m2009076-eng.pdf:

Full Professor €61,352-€83,555

Associate Professor €50,205-€70,911

Assistant Professor €41,280-€58,284

Lecturer €34,863-€45,576

Australia

There is no common pay scale for academic staff in Australian universities. Each university sets its own pay scales based on local 'enterprise' agreements.

The following are the salaries currently (April 2010) applying in Monash University, Melbournehttp://adm.monash.edu.au/enterprise-agreements/academic-professional-2009/s1-academic-salary-rates.html:

Professor €97,541

Associate Professor €75,723-€83,421

Senior Lecturer €62,888-€72,513

Lecturer €51,337-€90,963

Assistant Lecturer €35,935-€48,770

New Zealand

Under New Zealand legislation each Vice-Chancellor (President) is the employer of the staff of the university and each university negotiates its own employment agreements (including salary scales) with the relevant representatives of staff.

The following are salary scales applicable to academics in the University of Otago (July 2009)https://docushare.otago.ac.nz/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document26992/AcademicStaffNonMedicalandDentalPayScale.pdf:

Professor €71,476-€87,274

Associate Professor €62,018-€68,420

Senior Lecturer €47,399-€59,444

Lecturer €37,285-€44,970

Assistant Lecturer €27,666-€31,468

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