Universities

In almost all areas, the universities (UNI) dedicate more resources to research and development (R&D; just under 60%) than to teaching (24%). This applies to academic and administrative and technical staff. The amount of research activity at the UNI is related to the relatively high percentage of non-professorial staff at the UNI.

 

Staff

Staff of universities and institutes of technology (UNI) by category of staff, 2020

	Total	Female (%)	Foreign (%)
Full-time equivalents*	46 014	44.1	49.7
Professors	4 264	24.8	51.4
Other teaching staff	2 653	31.5	38.5
Assistants and scientific staff	23 593	42.4	66.6
Managerial, clerical and technical staff	15 503	54.2	25.3
Persons: 31.12.	68 382	45.5	45.1
Professors	4 638	25.2	50.9
Other teaching staff	9 783	30.4	35.7
Assistants and scientific staff	33 527	45.0	59.6
Managerial, clerical and technical staff	20 434	58.1	24.7

* rounded values Sources: FSO - University staff (SHIS-PERS)

The full-time equivalents (FTE), which are based on the calendar year, are an indicator of the staff resources available in an institution. By using data on persons (reference day 31st December), it is possible to analyse the composition of the staff body by sociodemographic characteristics (gender, age, nationality, etc.). A comparison of persons and FTEs highlights the high proportion of part-time employees.

 

Age pyramid

The median age of female professors at the UNI is 48 and 52 of male professors. The median age is used as key data to describe ageing in a given population. Overall, it rose in all types of higher education institution and in almost all personnel categories in the last then years.

 

Student-to-staff ratio

If the ratio between students and teaching staff is measured, indications can be obtained about the conditions of study. The number of students in basic tertiary education per FTE of academic staff teaching in basic tertiary education is the student-teacher ratio presented here. The graphic shows the corresponding student-teacher ratio over the ten-year period. Values above the diagonal line correspond to an increase in the number of students per member of teaching staff in the last then years.

This graph is updated annually at the end of November.

 

Appointments of professors

This indicator shows the sex distribution in appointments at the professorship level (945 persons, 339 women and 606 men) per university and group of departments, according to the FSO’s definitions and classification. A distinction was made between new and renewed appointments. This indicator complements Gender Monitoring at the Swiss universities.

The corresponding data were collected by Swissuniversities at the universities directly until 2018 and are now (retroactively from 2017) calculated by the FSO on the basis of the higher education personnel survey of the Swiss Higher Education Information System.

Gender Monitoring is used to monitor the incentive measures of the Federal Programme for Equal Opportunities for Women and Men at universities.

This graph is updated annually in December.

Further information

Publications

All publications on the topic Educational staff

Links

Related topics

Finances and costs of higher education institutions - Universities 

Statistical sources and concepts

Definitions