The Docking Insitute of Public Affairs survey finds majority of students have jobs; pleased with hours and pay
By JAMES BELL
Hays Post
As workforce shortages continue to plague area businesses, the Docking Institute of Public Affairs on the Fort Hays State University campus recently completed a survey of students in the workforce to find out more about their work habits and opinions of area employers.
Michael Walker, research scholar with the Docking Institute said the effort had multiple goals.
“I think a big part of it was we were trying to get a sense
of the desire and willingness of college students to work in Hays because we
had heard that there's a perception out there that college students don't want
to work in Hays,” he said.
To find the answer to that question, he said they asked area students about their employment status, their desire to find a job in the Hays market, their expected wages and related questions.
What they found allowed for a detailed analysis of their student workforce and offered generally positive news.
“We asked questions about their opinions of work and employers,” Walker said. “We found that most students find that employers provide good work schedules. ... Most students find that they provide positive work environments.”
More than 60 percent of students said employers in Hays provide positive working environments for college students.
Further, about 70 percent of student job-seekers said Hays employers offer student-friendly schedules.
Wages were also found to be viewed positively in general, he said.
“When you ask about wages, they did not seem excessive, at least to me as a researcher, for a new or different job,” Walker said.
He said their desired wage was close to the average wage earned currently – $13.66 per hour, with a desired wage in a new job of $14.08 per hour.
The number of students in the job market is also high, he said.
In total 93.3 percent of FHSU students reported some type of work.
During the survey, the institute looked at traditional hourly jobs, local gig work and online jobs.
“We wanted to kind of measure how many folks were doing those kinds of jobs, as well as working on campus,” Walker said.
Nearly half, he said – 48 percent – reported working an off-campus job, with 50.8 percent reporting an on-campus job.
Another 30.8 percent reported piecemeal or session-type jobs, like selling items online, pet sitting or occasional delivery jobs.
“We asked if they work on campus, and if you have a job off-campus, so there's going to be some overlap there,” Walker said. “That doesn't mean 100 percent work either on campus or off, but a large percentage do. About 9 or 10 percent overlap.”
He said those on-campus jobs are limited to 20 hours per week, and so some students will supplement earnings with an off-campus position.
“Students are not afraid to work,” Walker said. "They do want to work, and the number of students that do work in Hays, I would say, are very beneficial to the economy of Hays.
"I think it's fair to say that our college students really benefit the local community,” Walker said, “and the employers that hire our students, provide benefits to the students as well.”
SO, WHERE ARE THE WORKERS?
With so many FHSU students in the local workforce, the institute also wanted to know why there was a perception that students were no longer interested in working off-campus jobs.
“Of course with the COVID pandemic, a lot of people in general and students included, stayed away from crowded areas, and so a lot of them did not go to work,” Walker said. “And then, of course, there was stimulus money that helped people during that time, but we asked questions about that.”
“A majority of students did indicate that when the stimulus money was available, it did help them pay their bills,” he continued.
And while it may have weighed into the decision to work then, it is no longer a factor, he said.
“To say that students are just staying home, and getting paid by the government is a big mistake because it’s just not happening at this point,” Walker said.
With a high percentage of students desiring to work off-campus, he said other factors may be at the heart of the workforce shortage, viewed from the lens of student employment.
“I think one big factor on why it's difficult for employers to find workers is because of the decrease in enrollment on campus over the years,” Walker said. “We've had some big, big downturns if you will. COVID hit us pretty hard.”
FHSU saw an on-campus enrollment drop of almost 9 percent during the first year of the pandemic and another 6 percent drop during the second year.
And while student academic patterns remained the same during a shift to online education, many faced impacts in their employment.
“So, the jobs that they had tended to be affected, more by COVID, then keeping up with their academic plan,” said Fort Hays State University chief communications officer Scott Cason. “Almost 75 percent of them were able to keep up with their academic plan. But 50 percent reported that they lost jobs or reduced work hours because of COVID.”
The survey found only 14 percent of students changed their academic course loads, while 49.7 percent reported a change in their employment hours.
“I think we can say that the students reported that they did not change their academic patterns very much because the university did a great job of shifting from on-campus to off-campus teaching or virtual teaching,” Walker said. “Employers couldn't do the same thing. So, they had to, in many cases, just stop, close the doors for a while. And then the students haven't come back.”
He also said many students may have moved home while only online education was offered and did not return to on-campus learning.
While the survey primarily looked at factors driving students to, or out of, the workforce it also hinted at larger community issues.
“Eighteen percent or so of the students indicated that child care was an issue,” Walker said. “We've measured child care issues, in many different settings. We do a lot of labor studies across the Midwest, and child care is one that we always ask about.
"Now, it's never quite as large of a percentage as we think it might be. Like, when we talk to people in the community, it's like, ‘Oh, it's a big issue.’ But when you survey folks, it usually shows up to be about 18 to 20 percent. But still, 18 to 20 percent of the population is a big chunk of students.”
He said wage increases may also help address the problem, but would not be a major factor in enticing more students into the workforce.
But for those in the workforce, in general, they seem satisfied with their conditions, Walker said.
“Students do have a positive opinion about employers in Hays, they certainly don't have a negative opinion,” he said. “Also, most of our students do work in some capacity.”
Cover image courtesy Pixabay.