Navigating a narrow one-way street: A Mixed-Methods Study on the Perceived Working Conditions, Job Satisfaction, and Career Perspectives of Early-Career Scholars in Communication Science

Research on the working conditions of early-career communication scholars in Switzerland remains scarce despite growing public attention to their precarious situation. This study explores (1) working conditions and career perspectives at Swiss higher education institutions, (2) factors influencing job (dis-)satisfaction , (3) perceptions of gender-equality, (4) improvement factors and relevant actors. To this end, we used a mixed-method design, combining focus group discussions with a quantitative survey. We found some variance in the working conditions and their assessment. While flexibility in work is highly valued, many respondents reported excessive workloads associated with pressure and stress. Job dissatisfaction was fueled by concerns about their professional and private future due to temporary contracts and limited career perspectives. Factors such as personal relationships and exchange with colleagues and superiors contribute to job satisfaction. The respondents view the university, professors, and political institutions as most responsible for addressing the precarious working conditions and wish to see greater differentiation of job profiles, better conditions for family planning and childcare, and more full-time and permanent positions. With our study, we hope to contribute to the discussion of the situation of early-career scholars by offering empirical insights, and presenting suggestions from improvements raised by the directly concerned earl-career scholars themselves.