Using UK data supplied by universities, this paper confirms that women academics earn less than men, even after controlling for a range of covariates. Despite narrowing after 2004/05, the observed (unconditional) pay gap was still -0.089 in 2019/20, while the conditional pay gap was relatively unchanged remaining at around -0.050 in 2019/20. The…

We examine the relationship between secondary school attainment and early-career graduate salaries in the UK. Based on literature on grade inflation, we hypothesise that there is uncertainty regarding the quality of the signal communicated by degree classifications, and that secondary school grades can be used as a tool to determine the veracity…

The steady increase of chief executives' compensation in both public and private universities has long been at the centre of public debate and has received a lot of criticism in the UK. As higher education is considered as an industry, a pay for performance relationship is expected. This paper differs by demonstrating that UK Vice Chancellors…

Recruitment is one of the main strategic tools for universities, which aim to hire the best possible candidates for their academic positions. However, not every institution can hire whom they perceive as the best. Our paper investigates what are perceived to be the most pressing hindrances to attracting the best researchers. We focus on national…

International research suggests that increasing numbers of autistic people are entering higher education. Currently, very little is known about this population. For example, the rates of autistic people enrolling at UK-based higher education institutions, the demographics of this population, the subjects they study and particularly their graduate…

Brexit raised the question of whether the UK will continue to attract internationals. Here the focus is on academic staff - a critical component of the "War for Talents" discourse and current geopolitics in the field. Despite a clear trend of loss of EU internationals, at least among western EU countries, the UK more than compensates for…

Vice-chancellor salaries have been a topic of media interest and scholarly research for decades. In recent years, however, the media's interest and criticism of vice-chancellors' salaries has escalated, as negativity surrounding university performance and administration has led to a significant increase in articles concerning these matters. This…

This paper studies the main determinants of salaries for economics students in their year-long industrial placements. Using three different sources of data on three cohorts of economics placement students, including demographic characteristics, academic performance, programme of studies and employability-related characteristics, we find that…

There is a long-running cyclical public debate in the UK and Australia about the level of vice-chancellors' remuneration in publicly funded universities. Whilst governments may promise greater oversight, little appears to change. Similar trends are emerging in some other European countries. This article critically considers the determination of…

This study contributes theoretically and empirically to our understanding of students' transition from work placement to the graduate labour market, by exploring earning differentials due to heterogeneous job transitions. We developed a theoretical framework that underpins the relationships between work placement, job transition and graduate…

We study whether the completion of an optional professional year placement during undergraduate studies enhances job quality, in terms of earnings, job security and career fit, for economics graduates from a UK university. Using linear and discrete choice models, we estimate the effect of doing a professional year placement on four graduate…

In recent years, universities have appointed an increasing number of "teaching-only" or "teaching-dominant" staff. While the balance of reward and recognition between teaching and research has been extensively considered for staff engaged in both, this is the first attempt to look at the situation of staff appointed on…

The focus on graduate employability for Creative Industries has tended to overlook the significance of the education sector as a destination. This article makes a case for the educational logic of music careers considered as an example of the developmental agenda embedded in the concept of 'culture'. It further supports this account by looking at…

This original study followed up ten beneficiaries of a UK charity-led programme that supported disadvantaged students in applying to elite US universities. First interviewed in 2015 during their early university days in the United States, in our 2019 follow-up all participants had graduated. Six remained in the United States and four had returned…

Since the Brexit referendum in 2016, and the formal act of triggering article 50 by Theresa May's cabinet in 2017, the UK has entered a period of negotiations, the outcome of which, and also the terms of the post-exiting phase, are still uncertain. In this period of uncertainty, the mobility of people is one of the main issues at stake. The topic…