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Higher education academic salaries in the UK

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  • James Walker
  • Anna Vignoles
  • Mark Collins

Abstract

It is widely believed that higher education academic salaries are too low, and that this may lead to a 'brain drain' and also lower quality in higher education, as universities fail to attract the 'brightest and the best'. We compare the salaries of higher education teaching professionals in the UK with those of other comparable professionals. We compare academic salaries to a range of occupational groupings that one might view as similar, in terms of unobserved characteristics, to academics. We conclude that HE teaching professionals earn lower earnings than most public sector graduates and do particularly poorly compared to most other comparable professionals. In particular, academic earnings compare poorly to those in the legal professions, consultant physicians and dental practitioners (across both the public and private sectors). On the other hand, some public sector workers do worse than HE academics, e.g. FE teachers. Copyright 2010 , Oxford University Press.

Suggested Citation

  • James Walker & Anna Vignoles & Mark Collins, 2010. "Higher education academic salaries in the UK," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 62(1), pages 12-35, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:oxecpp:v:62:y:2010:i:1:p:12-35
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/oep/gpp004
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    Cited by:

    1. Smith, Sarah Jane & Urquhart, Vivien, 2018. "Accounting and finance in UK universities: Academic labour, shortages and strategies," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 50(6), pages 588-601.
    2. Benjamin Balsmeier & Maikel Pellens, 2016. "How much does it cost to be a scientist?," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 41(3), pages 469-505, June.
    3. Mamiko Takeuchi, 2021. "Determinants of Earnings and Gender Earnings Gaps among Highly Educated Workers within Major Cities in Asian Countries," Asian Economic Journal, East Asian Economic Association, vol. 35(2), pages 166-186, June.
    4. Mamiko Takeuchi, 2019. "Earnings gaps among higher-educated workers withinmain cities insemi-industrializedandnewly industrialized Asian countries," Discussion Papers in Economics and Business 19-06-Rev., Osaka University, Graduate School of Economics, revised Jul 2019.
    5. Elena Meschi & Anna Vignoles & Robert Cassen, 2014. "Post-secondary School Type and Academic Achievement," Manchester School, University of Manchester, vol. 82(2), pages 183-201, March.
    6. Brooks, Chris & Fenton, Evelyn M. & Walker, James T., 2014. "Gender and the evaluation of research," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(6), pages 990-1001.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • R14 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Land Use Patterns
    • J01 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - General - - - Labor Economics: General

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