The managerial agenda has had a significant impact on the nature of academic work and the composition of the academic workforce. One such change has been that of casualisation, which now threatens to divide the academic profession in two with casual workers being relegated to an 'underclass' that experiences a high level of job insecurity, low wages and poor working conditions. The research and recommendations presented in this article have only scratched the surface of this complex issue. It is argued, however, that addressing these issues in a proactive manner is necessary for the challenges confronting the academic profession to be met. Such a stance involves the representatives of all stakeholders in decision-making at global, national and institutional levels. It improves the employment situation experienced by casual work academics by enhancing the conditions under which they work and the lack of security they encounter, and by tailoring policies to the needs of particular categories of workers and of institutions. These policies entail viewing higher education as a public good through which the long-term social, political and economic needs of citizens can be met.