Current:Home > MarketsSchools are hiring more teachers than ever. So why aren't there enough of them?-DB Wealth Institute B2 Reviews & Ratings
Schools are hiring more teachers than ever. So why aren't there enough of them?
lotradecoin security features comparison View Date:2024-12-26 02:42:34
Since the pandemic began, lots of schools have been on a hiring spree. Campuses need more classroom teachers, reading specialists, special educators and counselors as Baby Boomers retire and schools continue to help students make up for lost time. The unprecedented infusion of COVID-19 relief money enabled the creation of many of these open positions.
Yet the supply of applicants hasn't caught up with demand, according to a new report from ADP Research Institute, a labor market think tank. The report says there has long been a staffing imbalance but it has become more pronounced since the pandemic.
“The demand for teachers has only grown, but the supply has been very stable,” said Nela Richardson, ADP’s chief economist. “As everybody is talking about the future of work, we’ve got to talk about the education of that future workforce – and it starts with teachers.”
The solution is clear: more competitive wages, as President Joe Biden noted in his State of the Union address last week, making the case for teacher pay raises. Despite an effort to change wages at the federal and local levels, few districts and states have meaningfully increased educator pay. Instead, teacher salaries have grown more slowly than pay for workers in other sectors.
The research institute tracked employment trends using wage and employment data over five years for public and private K-12 teachers across the U.S.
The number of educator job openings has surged since 2021, according to researchers. However, the number of employed educators has remained relatively flat. For a few months after the onset of the pandemic, the teaching force shrunk due to resignations and retirements. Many aging educators left their jobs earlier than planned, prompted, in part, by health concerns.
Teacher shortages:86% of public schools struggle to hire educators
How teacher salaries compare
As of last fall, K-12 teachers in the U.S. earned an average of $68,000 annually. That’s 8% less than the average wage for all workers in the country, according to the ADP analysis.
That gap is widening. In 2018, teachers made just 3% less than the average worker. The gap continues to widen even though teachers often have higher levels of education than other workers. That makes “the shrinking pay premium even more unsettling,” the researchers said.
That teachers are underpaid “is an old story in some sense,” Richardson said. She pointed to the wave of teacher strikes around the country, starting in 2018.
But the story has gotten worse. After the mass unemployment created by the pandemic, wages in various sectors, such as hospitality and tech, soared as companies sought to recruit staff to fill vacancies. With a few exceptions, that didn’t happen in K-12 education.
Stagnating wages contribute to shortages
With school salaries struggling to be competitive, teachers are less inclined to stay on the job. They’re pursuing other careers, in education and other industries. This trend is especially evident among so-called STEM educators, specializing in science, technology, engineering and math, and those who teach foreign languages, whose skill sets can lead to more lucrative professions.
Prospective teachers are also less likely to pursue education careers in the first place. Wage competitiveness has weakened especially for teachers who are between 20 and 30.
While teachers 30 and older are accustomed to making less than the average worker, historically, early-career educators made more than other young entry-level employees. That competitive advantage has been eroding over the past few years, with their salaries trailing downwards, according to the report.
As older teachers retire, they’re vacating positions that early-career or prospective educators are not filling as swiftly. While teacher employment trends show a consistent dropoff each June among aging teachers, these days the dropoff is happening among younger teachers, too.
“The pipeline is broken at both ends,” Richardson said.
Where teachers are being hardest hit
The report highlights two regions where educators have experienced the most significant wage changes relative to other workers.
In Florida’s Orlando-Deltona-Daytona Beach area, teachers’ salaries have experienced the biggest decline compared with other workers. Teachers went from earning 28% more than average to just 4% more over five years.
Richardson thinks the region’s robust leisure and hospitality industry is a big factor, as entry-level jobs in that sector now pay more competitive wages – and those jobs require much less education and training.
American classrooms need more educators:Can virtual teachers step in to bridge the gap?
The Washinton, D.C., area has seen the opposite trend in teacher salaries. The teacher pay premium saw some of the greatest gains: In 2018, local teachers made just 89% of what a typical worker made. Last year, they made 106% of the average.
In that case, Richardson pointed to the high local demand for private education from wealthy and international families.
But such phenomena remain a relative anomaly. “In education,” Richardson said, “that aggressive hiring and pay didn’t keep up with what other companies have been doing.”
veryGood! (563)
Related
- Hideki Matsuyama will be without regular caddie, coach after their passports and visas were stolen
- Georgia school chief says AP African American Studies can be taught after legal opinion
- NYC’s ice cream museum is sued by a man who says he broke his ankle jumping into the sprinkle pool
- Christian Coleman, delayed by ban, finally gets shot at Olympic medal
- Justice Department defends Boeing plea deal against criticism by 737 Max crash victims’ families
- Today Only! Save Up to 76% on Old Navy Bottoms – Jeans, Pants, Skirts & More Starting at $6
- Katy Perry Reveals Orlando Bloom's Annoying Trait
- ‘Alien: Romulus’ actors battled lifelike creatures to bring the film back to its horror roots
- How you can get a free scoop of ice cream at Baskin Robbins Wednesday
- Get an Extra 50% Off J.Crew Sale Styles, 50% Off Banana Republic, 40% Off Brooklinen & More Deals
Ranking
- Millions of kids are still skipping school. Could the answer be recess — and a little cash?
- NYC’s ice cream museum is sued by a man who says he broke his ankle jumping into the sprinkle pool
- 'A Good Girl's Guide to Murder' is now on Netflix: Get to know the original books
- Simone Biles Details Bad Botox Experience That Stopped Her From Getting the Cosmetic Procedure
- A teen was falling asleep during a courtroom field trip. She ended up in cuffs and jail clothes
- France advances to play USA for men's basketball gold
- DK Metcalf swings helmet at Seahawks teammate during fight-filled practice
- 'Chef Curry' finally finds his shot and ignites USA basketball in slim victory over Serbia
Recommendation
-
Big Georgia county to start charging some costs to people who challenge the eligibility of voters
-
Andrew Young returns to south Georgia city where he first became pastor for exhibit on his life
-
North Carolina man wins $1.1M on lottery before his birthday; he plans to buy wife a house
-
2024 Olympics: Why Fans Are in Awe of U.S. Sprinter Quincy Hall’s Epic Comeback
-
'RuPaul's Drag Race Global All Stars': Premiere date, cast, where to watch and stream
-
Snake hunters will wrangle invasive Burmese pythons in Everglades during Florida’s 10-day challenge
-
Flood damage outpaces some repairs in hard-hit Vermont town
-
USA Olympic Diver Alison Gibson Reacts to Being Labeled Embarrassing Failure After Dive Earns 0.0 Score