Universities are buzzing with rumours about the future, and sadly, most of them are negative. Many academics believe that whoever wins the next election will introduce huge budget cuts and changes to the way th students pay for their education and this will have a serious impact on the sector. But what could it mean for you as a jobseeker?
Redundancies/fewer jobs being advertised:
Many departments will find their staffing budgets drastically cut and so posts are less likely to be filled when people retire or leave and in severe cases redundancies might ensue. This all makes life very difficult for the jobseeker who might find that the market becomes even more competitive as the number of scholars doing postgraduate work continues to rise, but there simply isn’t the work for them in this sector when they finish their degrees.
Decrease in student numbers:
At the moment every prediction indicates that there will be a massive rise in applications for student places this year, partly because of the recession. However, if the way that students have to pay for their degrees changes this may result in a drop in applications as many who cannot afford to send their children to university look for other options. Some reports suggest he average family might end up paying as much as £7000 more per year, this will certainly put off many.
This has a knock on effect on the teaching staff. Fewer students through the doors means that even fewer staff will be taken on and again, raises the spectre of academic staff redundancies.
It all suggests this is going to be a difficult year. Don’t give up hope though, there are many institutions and departments who are still hiring. But be prepared for a very competitive job market for the next few years to come.
