Home > Statistics > Time use survey of university and polytechnic staff > 2005 > Annual working hours of university teachers approaching 2,000

Published: 15 December 2005

Annual working hours of university teachers approaching 2,000

Teaching and research staff at universities spend 43 per cent of their annual working hours (= tasks relating to their office or post) on teaching and 39 per cent on research. Other tasks, such as administration, take up 18 per cent of their working hours. At polytechnics, teaching and research staff spend 74 per cent of their working hours on teaching, 10 per cent on research and 16 per cent on other tasks. These data derive from a follow-up survey of time use among tertiary teaching staff Statistics Finland conducted in the academic year 2004-2005. The target population of the survey were the budget-funded teaching and research posts of universities and polytechnics. The previous respective survey concerning time use was conducted in the academic year 1991-1992.

Professors spend 32 per cent of their annual working hours on research, 44 per cent on teaching and 24 per cent on other tasks. Research takes up 38 per cent of the annual working hours of senior assistants while assistants use around one half of theirs on it. Polytechnic teaching staff tend to spend the majority of their working hours on teaching. Principal tutors do more research and other tasks than the rest of teaching staff.

In the academic year 2004-2005, the annual working hours of teaching and research staff at universities amounted to approximately 2,000. At polytechnics, the respective total annual working hours totalled good 1,700.

Distribution of annual working hours between tasks by title of position.

	Teaching %	Research %	Other tasks %	Annual working hours *
Universities, total	43	39	18	1,982
Professors	44	32	24	2,251
University lecturers	54	29	17	2,029
Lecturers	70	16	14	1,915
Assistant teachers	54	30	16	1,435
Senior assistants	47	38	15	2,021
Assistants	36	52	12	1,851
Full-time fee-paid teachers	71	17	12	1,719
Researchers	15	77	8	1,936
Department secretaries	21	10	69	1,599
Laboratory engineers	11	43	46	1,698
Polytechnics, total	74	10	16	1,726
Principal tutors	64	16	20	1,830
Lecturers	75	8	17	1,707
Full-time fee-paid teachers	81	7	12	1,707
Researchers	29	47	24	1,630
* Tasks relating to office or post.

These figures are preliminary data from a survey concerning the time use of university and polytechnic staff Statistics Finland conducted in the academic year 2004-2005.

Source: Time use survey of university and polytechnic staff in the academic year 2004-2005. Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Mr Vesa Hämäläinen +358 9 1734 2594, Mr Markku Virtaharju +358 9 1734 3290, tiede.teknologia@stat.fi

Director in charge: Ms Kaija Hovi

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Last updated 15.12.2005