The systemic marginalisation of long-term casualised researchers in UK Higher Education

The increasing casualisation of academic labour has garnered significant scholarly attention, but much of this research focuses on so-called “early career researchers” (ECRs), an all-encompassing term that masks the long-term precarity many academics face. This study centres long-term researchers (LTRs), defined as those in casualised research roles for eight years or more, challenging the dominant narrative that frames casualisation as a transitional stage at the start of an academic career. Drawing on a survey of researchers (n = 179) in UK universities integrating qualitative and quantitative data, this study examines LTRs’ career trajectories, academic contributions and barriers to progression. The findings reveal that LTRs form a distinct category within academia with career aspirations and employment patterns that differ from those of ECRs. The study highlights systemic and structural mechanisms within universities and funding bodies that marginalise and invisibilise LTRs, such as exclusionary career framework, exploitative hierarchies and the normalisation of precarity as an academic “rite of passage”. It also suggests that widespread discrimination at the intersection of ageism, gender discrimination and caring responsibilities contributes to certain demographic groups being more likely to remain or to become LTRs. This study calls for policy changes to create a more equitable sector, such as formal recognition of LTRs as a distinct category, greater transparency on the true extent of casualisation and career opportunities that prioritise intellectual contributions over arbitrary employment status. By visibilising LTRs’ realities and proposing actionable policy interventions, this research advocates for structural reforms to address long-term insecurity in higher education.