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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


Last updated 15.12.2005

Referencing instructions:

Statistics: Time use survey of university and polytechnic staff [e-publication].
2005. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 29.3.2024].
Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/yaakay/2005/yaakay_2005_2005-12-15_tie_001_en.html