University Staffing Whitepaper FINAL 27729 TA 191224 - Flipbook - Page 4
The current landscape
UK universities are grappling with
several signi昀椀cant workforce and cost
management challenges. This comes as
a result of increased pressure to perform
in league tables and reduced funding
coupled with increased staf昀椀ng costs.
With the decline in government investment
combined with a signi昀椀cant rise in delivery
costs and student satisfaction demand,
it is becoming increasingly dif昀椀cult for
universities to perform.
meet. Student fees account for the majority of a university’s
income, leading to a focus on attracting international
students, where higher tuition fees can make up the pay
disparity seen. However, this need to host more students
for the additional income is adding strain to university
workforces.
Increasing budget restraints for universities
An evolving approach to staf昀椀ng
There have been questions around the 昀椀nancial stability of
higher education for some time, with 72% of universities3
expected to be spending more than they have coming in,
in the next two years. This is predicted to bring a £1.6 billion
de昀椀cit across the higher education sector. Due to in昀氀ation
and increasing funding gaps, universities are constantly
having to reassess their 昀椀nancial outputs to make ends
Funding pressures have led to big shifts in the way
universities look at staf昀椀ng. Non-academic staf昀椀ng
in universities has grown, particularly in administration
and central services. With the additional pressure
for institutions to perform in league tables to attract
students, more universities are investing in their student
experience workforce.
3
4
Jeffreys, B. and Rhodes, H. (2024). University cash crisis will get worse despite tuition fee
rise, BBC told. BBC News. [online] 14 Nov. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/
c14lv7e61d3o.
Universities are rightly seen as vital to economic growth,
medical advancements and social problem-solving.
But there is a disconnect between policymakers, the public,
and universities, about the 昀椀nancial state of the sector and
what funding is needed. As cost management and budget
restraint become strategic priorities, universities must seek
innovative solutions to streamline their operations and
manage their resources effectively.
www.hesa.ac.uk. (n.d.). Higher Education Staff Statistics: UK, 2022/23 | HESA. [online]
Available at: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/news/16-01-2024/sb267-higher-education-staffstatistics.
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