In the fourth quarter of 2011, the number of employment opportunities in higher education increased at a slower pace, according to a new report from HigherEdJobs, a source for jobs and career information in academia.

Based on an analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data by HigherEdJobs, the number of actual jobs in higher education increased 2 percent during over the fourth quarter of 2011 and grew 2.2 percent for the year. The quarterly figure is down from 2.6 percent while the yearly figure represents an increase of 2.8 percent for all of 2010.

The report also reveals that colleges and universities seem to be relying on part-time positions to fill all types of openings, and there appears to be a greater emphasis on part-time faculty than on part-time administrators. In fact, 17.3 percent of all faculty postings during the fourth quarter of 2011 were for part-time positions, an uptick from 15.8 percent from the same quarter a year earlier.