Fundamental requirements for institutions of tertiary education to achieve their missions are that motivated people with high-level knowledge and skills choose to become academics, strategies to facilitate their work are in place, and that effective academics wish to remain in academia. The academic profession needs to be competitive with other occupations in attracting talented people and the management of academic resources needs to ensure high levels of motivation within the profession. This Chapter reviews the trends and developments in the work of academics and analyses the main features of the academic profession in the countries reviewed. Whilst the tertiary education sector and the academic working environment are becoming increasingly diversified and complex, a number of broad trends affecting academic work and changes in staffing policies seem to be common to many countries. The Chapter further reviews factors which affect the attractiveness of the academic profession and those which influence the effectiveness of academics. It includes descriptions of policy initiatives in participating countries, and develops policy options for countries to consider.