Professors Kate Purcell and Peter Elias discuss whether in today's financial climate it is still worth studying for a degree.

Professors Purcell and Elias are members of the IER research team responsible for Futuretrack, the most extensive investigation of the relationship between higher education and employment ever undertaken in the UK. The survey is being undertaken on behalf of the Higher Education Careers Services Unit (HECSU).

Graduate employability is a hot topic in the media at the moment, with much talk about the fierce competition for graduate jobs. IER researchers provide insights into their work on graduate employment in an article for the Knowledge Centre, discussing findings from Futuretrack, an independent, interdisciplinary, policy-related research project about the relationship between higher education, career decision-making and labour market trends.

Dr Ilias Livanos will be presenting with Lefteris Kretsos at the forthcoming Industrial Relations in Europe conference to be held at the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Barcelona (1-2 September). They will present research on ‘Identifying Factors Affecting Precarious Forms of Employment among Young People in Europe: A Quantitative Study’.

Places are still available at a Symposium, taking place at Warwick on 29 September 2011. This invitation only event will focus on an international comparison of approaches to labour market assessment and skills forecasting, with inputs from those with hands-on experience, and who can speak authoritatively (and critically) about the strengths and weakness of the various approaches adopted across the world, and the lessons they have learned over the past 20 years. Contact Rob Wilson for information about participating in this event.

The role of career adaptability in skills supply

This study, undertaken by Professor Jenny Bimrose, Professor Alan Brown, Dr Sally-Anne Barnes and IER Associate Fellow Dr Deirdre Hughes, explores the concept of career adaptability and improves our understanding of the wide range of goals, aspirations, achievements and identities that shape the way that individuals interact with and move through the labour market.

The impact of student and migrant employment on opportunities for low skilled people

This study, undertaken by Gaby Atfield, Professor Anne Green, Professor Kate Purcell, Dr Teresa Staniewicz (from Sociology) and Dr David Owen, looks at the impact of student and migrant employment on opportunities for low skilled people. It improves our understanding of the changing nature of low skilled work, and the attitudes and motivations of low skilled people and employers in one local economic area.

Rebalancing the economy sectorally and spatially: An evidence review

Professor Anne Green worked with SQW, CE and CURDS on this report, which reviews national and international evidence on the rationale, impact and effectiveness of government intervention to rebalance the economy sectorally and spatially in the UK and abroad. It draws on five international case studies and seeks to apply policy lessons from the evidence, including understanding the role of, and implications for, employment and skills policy in supporting objectives of economic rebalancing.