The COVID-19 pandemic raised many challenges for faculty in higher education systems. The uncertainty, additional work, and burnout that faculty may have experienced early in the pandemic as they transitioned from in-person to online teaching may have led to some faculty leaving academia. The purpose of this study was to explore changes in faculty employment in the University of California (UC), California State University (CSU), and California Community College (CCC) public higher education systems early in the pandemic (2020) compared to the three years prior (2017-2019). An analysis of the data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) was used to investigate if changes occurred in total faculty employment or faculty diversity groups early in the pandemic. Analysis revealed that the California public higher education systems were generally resilient to changes in faculty employment early in the pandemic when compared to three years prior. However, the CSU and CCC education systems experienced a significant decrease in part-time faculty concentrations in 2020 when compared to the three years prior. The heavy reliance on part-time faculty in the CSU and CCC education systems and decreased student enrollment may have influenced the significant decreases found in part-time faculty concentrations early in the pandemic. However, further research will be needed to identify the reasons for these changes in faculty employment. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]