The coalition Government's decision to apply a cap to the number of economic migrants coming to the UK will pose challenges for many sectors of the economy including higher education, according to Universities UK.

Nicola Dandridge, Chief Executive of Universities UK, said: “The proposed cap will be difficult for universities as a significant proportion of the academic workforce is, and always has been, international. In the UK, over 10 per cent of all our academic staff are non-EU nationals and many are working in key subject areas such as science, technology and engineering.

“We need talented people with highly specified skills to work in the sector and we're competing for them with the US, Australia, Canada, and the rest of the EU. Without those highly skilled staff, it will damage the sector's ability to research and teach in some key areas.”

The higher education sector awaits more information on how the Government will take these proposals forward and will be highlighting the major contribution made by international academic staff to the teaching, research and knowledge exchange taking place within UK universities.

Nicola Dandridge added: “The success of the UK’s higher education sector depends on our ability to attract the most highly talented people to work and study here.  Anything that diminishes our ability to do this will undermine the quality of what we do and our ability to compete internationally.

“Universities UK will be contributing to the consultation process now underway.”

Notes

1. For more information on the Home Secretary's announcement that there will be a temporary limit on the number of non-EU workers allowed into the UK, see: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/media-centre/news/immigration-limit11
2. There is currently very little information on how the Government may design and implement the cap but it will presumably apply to migrants coming through Tier 1 and Tier 2 of the points-based immigration system. These tiers are used by international academic staff joining the higher education workforce in the UK.
3. Over recent years UK universities have attracted significant numbers of international academic staff with non-EU staff now forming over 10 per cent of the total academic workforce according to data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). In 2007/08 there were 18,406 non-EU academic staff in UK higher education institutions. These numbers have increased in recent years with a 17.6% increase in non-EU academic staff between 2005/06 and 2007/08.
4. Analysis of the HESA data indicates that international academic staff are concentrated in significant numbers in certain subject areas. These include STEM areas with over ten per cent of academic staff in the biological sciences, physical sciences and engineering coming from outside the EU in these areas. There are also significant numbers of international staff in the social studies area and mathematical and computer sciences.
5. International academic staff tend to be younger than UK and EU academic staff with 21.1% of international staff aged 30 and under and 41.7% of international staff aged between 31 and 40. International staff are more likely to have doctorates than UK and EU staff. A significant number of international academic staff were previously international students in the UK.
6. The top five countries of origin of international academic staff in the UK are USA, China,  India, Australia and Canada. At professorial level 7.5% of staff are non-EU nationals, at senior researcher/lecturer level 14.1% are non-EU nationals, at lecturer level 26.3% are non-EU nationals and at researcher level 40.3% are non-EU nationals.
7. In terms of international students, the direct value of overseas students to the UK economy is estimated at £8.5bn according to latest figures by the British Council.