Some Reflections On The Lateral Hiring Market
Josh Blackman | 10.28.2026 11:39 PM Every year, professors move from lower-ranked institutions to higher-ranked institutions. But for the lateral market to sustain itself, schools have to continue to play the game: recruit laterals, hoping they improve the school's standing before they move onto greener pastures. I include the raw results below the jump. Here, I will offer some broader observations about the lateral hiring market. I don't think these patterns are limited to Irvine, but that institution is a useful measuring stick because it started so recently. All of my counts here are tentative. Please let me know if there are any errors. By my count, between 2008 and 2026, at Irvine there were a total of about 40 lateral hires (including two deans). Between 2008 and 2026, sixteen of these forty lateral hires later departed. Here, I will note the year they were hired and the year they…