Non-exempt staff make up 28% of the higher education workforce. Examples of non-exempt staff in higher ed include electricians, police officers, photographers, custodians, office assistants, and food service workers. There is a dearth of reporting that characterizes the non-exempt higher ed workforce beyond those parameters that are used to describe how they are paid. This report describes the makeup of and trends in the higher ed non-exempt staff workforce from the academic years 2016-17 through 2023-24. In it, we show that the higher ed workforce is shrinking, having not recovered since declines after the COVID-19 pandemic. Non-exempt staff are also younger than they were eight years ago, with fewer staff aged 55+. Women make up 59% of the non-exempt staff workforce. People of color make up 33%, the largest representation of people of color than in any other segment of the higher ed workforce. In addition, women and black non-exempt staff experience multiple layers of inequity: They are better represented in the lowest-paying positions, and they occupy fewer lead positions among non-exempt staff. Recommendations include understanding your own institution's non-exempt staff trends, avoiding the trap of overworking non-exempt staff, identifying skills gaps, investing in employee development, and prioritizing pay equity for non-exempt employees.