All work and low pay – students at work in the UK

An increasing number of students are being forced to seek paid employment during term-time and vacation just so that they can survive university and try to limit the amount of debt they accumulate during their student years, according to a new report published today (Friday) by the NUS and the TUC.

The report, ‘All work and low pay: The growth in UK student employment’, says that in the past ten years the number of full-time students who are working has risen dramatically, from 406,880 in 1996 to 630,718 in 2006 - an increase of 54 per cent.

Students from poorer backgrounds are more likely to be forced to work to support themselves than friends from more affluent backgrounds. Some 55 per cent of young people from managerial and professional backgrounds work, but the figure rises to 61 per cent for those from manual backgrounds.

Although the report recognises that young people can gain valuable work experience from jobs they take as students, there is concern that they tend to be concentrated in the low-pay, long-hours sections of the economy (mainly hospitality and retail), where they frequently experience exploitation.

With full-time students tending to work an average of 14 hours a week (although one in five put in 15-20 hours at work, and another one in five more than 20 hours each week), there is also concern that, for some, paid employment may be having a damaging impact upon their studies. Nearly 40 per cent of full-time students working felt that having a job meant they were able to spend less time reading and studying, and a quarter of full-time students reported missing lectures or classes as a result.

‘All work and low pay’ says that student employment is overwhelming concentrated in the retail and hospitality sectors, with around 40 per cent employed in shops and a further 21 per cent in bars, hotels and restaurants.

Concern that students are ripe for exploitation, yet very few actually belong to trade unions (only four per cent of students aged 18-25 are trade union members), has prompted the NUS and the TUC to sign a new agreement to try to encourage more students to think about signing up to a union when they first start working.

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: “More and more students are being forced to look for paid work not only because they need the cash to survive each term at university, but also because they want to avoid running up massive debts by the time they graduate. This is especially the case among young people from poorer backgrounds who can't rely on regular financial support from their parents.

“Of course, working gives young people valuable experience which may help them secure that all-important first job and they are less likely to have money worries. But although students run the risk of exploitation, long hours, low pay and their studies suffering, very few ever think of joining a union to win a better deal at work.”

NUS President Gemma Tumelty said: “NUS feel strongly that students need to become more empowered around their rights to decent pay and working conditions and we urge as many students as possible to consider union membership.

“This protocol agreement is a turning point for NUS. We have always recognised that unionisation will become more and more important to working students who are suffering the consequences of huge personal debt. Now we are getting organised.

“With so many of their peers facing similar difficulties, NUS believe that the relationship of students and their unions will be an incredibly effective way of bargaining collectively as well as ensuring that vital information on students’ rights and entitlements is disseminated effectively."

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