The number of higher education jobs has persisted at a temperate pace, but it still surpasses job growth in the non-academic industries. In addition, the number of vacancies available at universities and colleges seems to be increasing, but modestly reveals a report from HigherEdJobs, a website dedicated connecting professional with positions in academia.    

According to a study by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of actual jobs in higher education grew 1.8 percent as opposed to a 1.5 percent increase in jobs across all industries. In 2011, the number of higher education jobs went up 2.6 percent compared to a total job growth of 1.1 percent.  

However, in early 2012 the increase in higher education job vacancies decelerated. The amount of jobs openings for colleges and universities surged 21.1 percent in the first quarter of 2012, from the start of January to the end of March. That number decreased from the 38.5 percent that was calculated in the first quarter of 2011.

The report also revealed that colleges and universities also concentrated more on adding administrators and executives to their payrolls rather than faculty in the first quarter of 2012, even though this growth rate has also experienced a pace reduction.  Higher education institutions seem to be using more "part-time faculty than part-time administrators" in 2011, which was prolonged into the first quarter of 2012.

In terms of job openings for full-time faculty, the number grew 13.4 percent in the first quarter of 2012 in comparison to a 14.7 percent surge in the first quarter of 2011. This is also the case with part-time faculty job openings that increased about 24.9 percent in the first quarter of 2012 in contrast with a 39.9 percent surge in 2011.

As far as regions in the U.S. that are seeing an increase in academic vacancies, the Northeast preceded all other areas. The Midwest had a 65.6 percent surge, which was seen as the "fastest growth rate in the country". The West coast region, unfortunately, experienced a reduction of 0.9 percent.