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Students as catalysts for regeneration. Moira Munro University of Glasgow. March 2010. Key questions. What are students’ impacts on urban areas? As residents As workers And are there differential regional regeneration impacts?. Methods. Large scale analysis of census; LFS and APS data
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Students as catalysts for regeneration Moira Munro University of Glasgow. March 2010.
Key questions • What are students’ impacts on urban areas? • As residents • As workers • And are there differential regional regeneration impacts?
Methods • Large scale analysis of census; LFS and APS data • Case study – qualitative work • Employers’ survey
Case studies Belfast Glasgow Cardiff Sunderland Nottingham
Context: Growth of student no.s Cardiff 64.0% 1995/6-2007/8 Sunderland 24.4% Nottingham 24.6% UK: 39.5% Belfast 18.6% Glasgow 22.7%
Café culture Benefits to local businesses More strongly expressed where students more ‘novel’ Policy for new universities? And more positively…
Students as workers: Employer Survey • Key types of student employer: • Retail – supermarkets; high street • Hospitality – hotels, bars • Call centres • Events
Do students displace local workers? • Attractive workers – bright, motivated, soft skills? • Evidence – more mixed
Are students more or less attractive as workers than local young people • More – 27% • Less – 9% • Same – 64% Do you actively seek to recruit students? • Yes – 28% • No – 72%
58% Attractive chstics 22% - Flexibility 12% - Young, energy, enthusiastic 11% - need work, motivated 57% unattractive 36% - unreliable 21% - less motivated 17% - lack of flexibility/availability Students as workers
Do students displace local workers? • Attractive workers – bright, motivated, soft skills? • Evidence – more mixed • Strongly segmented part of labour force: • Flexibility – un-social hours • Part-time, uncertain, casualised. • Symbiotic with 24 hour economy
Do students drive down wages or conditions in local labour markets? • Part of high churn, high turnover market • Employers said they treated all employees the same • High supply of students likely to reduce any upward pressure
Do students attract businesses? • Some evidence: • Local businesses • Contact centres – ‘hygiene’ issue • Do students add to regional talent pool? • Bread and butter work vs internships • Didn’t find regional differences..
Policy Implications • Growth in student numbers largely left to be accommodated by markets: • Remarkably efficient private rented sector response • Ready supply of student jobs • Catch-up response by LAs; Universities
Looking to the future • Student number decline? • Student jobs in economic downturn? • Reduced student contribution to some local economies… • Potential for more joined up thinking?