Dr Catherine Robinson, Deputy Dean and Senior Lecturer in Applied Economics and Business Statistics at Kent Business School, has been awarded a grant by UK Research and Innovation to carry out a major study into the impact of Covid-19 on the labour market outcomes of graduate workers in the UK.<\/p>\n
The project, undertaken jointly with Dr Michela Vecchi of Middlesex University, which will receive \u00a353,650 in funding, will investigate changes fuelled by the pandemic and their impact on the existing skill mismatch in the labour market \u2013 defined as those working in jobs that underutilise their qualifications \u2013 focussing on graduates.<\/p>\n
Using the UK\u2019s quarterly labour force survey (QLFS), Dr Robinson<\/a> and the team aim to evaluate the extent of occupational shifts \u2013 changes in the distribution of workers across job roles \u2013 and the impact of the pandemic on a growing skills mismatch both regionally and nationally.<\/p>\n Dr Robinson says: \u201cRecent ONS analysis shows a large proportion of graduates unable to find work matching their skillset. \u00a0This disparity is much higher than is seen in non-graduates, so it is vital we examine this particular group of individuals.\u201d<\/p>\n The research will also analyse whether the uptake of extra training has any positive effect on employment retention and employment opportunities for recent graduates.<\/p>\n This grant is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) as part of UK Research and Innovation\u2019s rapid response to COVID-19.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n