What are the emotional burdens of precarious educators working in the higher education sector? <i>A scoping review</i>

The use of precariously employed educators is increasing in the global higher education (HE) sector, with many struggling to gain long-term employment and experiencing emotional burden. Scholars report that unpredictable job security, ambiguous career progression, and inadequate remuneration can detrimentally impact precarious educators. This scoping review aimed to uncover and synthesize the literature related to emotional burdens for precariously employed educators in HE. A systematic search across five databases was conducted, and 38 studies published between 2012 and 2023 were included. Analysis revealed four main categories of emotional burden: (1) exclusion or disconnection, (2) feeling undervalued, (3) stress and (4) anxiety. These were mapped to themes of job satisfaction, personal health and wellbeing, career progression, and the work environment. We conclude that precarious educators bear complex emotional burdens. The implications of these could be critically explored and considered by educators, administrators, researchers, and policymakers to work towards more inclusive and equitable academic environments.