SDG 8: Decent Work & Economic Growth 2025 Report
SDG 8 - Decent work and economic growth
Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
The University is committed to promoting inclusive and sustainable economic growth. As a Living Wage Employer, we uphold ethical employment practices across all areas of our work. In 2023/24, 94.6% of staff were on contracts of 24 months or more, up from 93.4% the year before. We champion fair pay, union recognition, and anti-discrimination and provide robust careers and mentoring services. As co-designer of the West Yorkshire Fair Work Charter, we back its five themes: opportunity, security, wellbeing, voice, and fulfilment.
How we support decent work and economic growth
- We actively support decent work for all through fair pay, anti-discrimination policies, union recognition, and robust support systems for staff, students, and underrepresented groups.
- Our Careers Service, enterprise support, and placement opportunities equip students with the skills and experience needed for productive employment, while our research and mentoring programmes foster innovation and inclusive economic development locally and globally.
Learning for students
Careers Service
The University is a leading provider of work placements and is committed to providing work-related activities on all its undergraduate courses. We have a dedicated placement team on hand to support students find and apply for placements.
The University of Huddersfield’s Careers Service supports all students and graduates to achieve their career potential. They work in coordination with the Student's Union, employers and other external stakeholders to inspire global professionals.
Students have access to JobShop, the University’s own vacancy website, where thousands of full-time, part-time, graduate and work experience roles are advertised each year.
Supporting enterprise
The University’s Enterprise Team empowers student start-ups, and recently, 4 enterprising students received a share of £20,000 to kickstart their businesses through the University’s Alan Lewis Seed Fund, a fund open to all University of Huddersfield students and Alumni. In addition, in 2023, the University established a Maker Space, a collaborative workspace that brings together inventors, creatives and digital enterprises to share and grow ideas across the fashion, textiles, and digital electronics sectors.
Global Professional Award
University of Huddersfield
Our Global Professional Award, a two-year compulsory programme studied alongside an undergraduate degree, is an innovative programme designed to equip our undergraduate students with the tools needed for success at university and to thrive in their chosen field after graduation. The programme develops key skills and knowledge in employability and enterprise, wellbeing and global and social awareness.
Public and business engagement
Mentor schemes
The University of Huddersfield runs a diversity mentoring scheme for staff in partnership with a number of higher education institutions across Yorkshire. The U-Connect scheme was initiated by the University as part of its ongoing commitment to ensure an inclusive and diverse community of staff and students in which everyone is valued equally. The aim of the scheme is to provide University staff from diverse backgrounds with career support, development and progression. Participants can engage in the scheme as a mentor or be mentored by someone from a different institution.
Operations
Employment Practice – Unions and Labour Rights
The University of Huddersfield recognises trade unions and labour rights for all staff and engage in meaningful communication, consultation and negotiation with recognised unions, demonstrating our commitment to upholding labour rights and promoting equitable practices for all staff. This includes collective bargaining for annual pay awards, in line with the majority of universities across the UK.
As set out in the staff handbook, academic staff are represented by the University and College Union (UCU), who campaign on gender equity and advocate for international staff. Professional services and support staff are represented by UNISON.
The unions support all staff, especially those facing specific barriers, such as women, international staff, those with a disability, ethnic minority staff and LGBTQ+.
Employment Policies on Discrimination and Modern Slavery
The University of Huddersfield has an Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity Policy (reviewed March 2024) which clearly states that ‘The University deplores all forms of unlawful or unfair discrimination and seeks to provide an environment free from discrimination against students, staff and others on the grounds of gender, race, sexual orientation, religion/belief, disability or any other protected characteristic.’ All allegations of discrimination are thoroughly investigated through the University’s Grievance and Dignity At Work Procedures.
The University of Huddersfield has policies in place to ensure that there is no forced labour, modern slavery, human trafficking or child labour in our supply chains or in any part of our business. Our Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement (reviewed September 2025) is published annually and reports on measures taken to ensure that all parts of our business and supply chain are slavery free. These measures are embedded into our policies and procedures, for example we have a designated Supply Chain Code of Practice which all suppliers of goods and services must adhere to in order to remain on the supplier list of the University.
Shortlisted for the Living Wage Champion Awards
The University was shortlisted for the Living Wage Champion Awards in 2014. The Real Living Wage, currently £12.60 (from October 2024), is above the UK Government’s ‘National Living Wage’ of £12.21 (age 21+; from April 2025); the University was the first major University (turnover >£100m) in the region (Yorkshire & Humber) to become a Living Wage employer, and remains one of only four such HEIs.
The University of Huddersfield is a Living Wage Employer as set out on our Reward and Recognition webpage. The Living Wage is calculated according to the basic cost of living using the ‘Minimum Income Standard’ for the UK.
Employment Practice – Equivalent Rights Outsourcing
The University has a clear policy in place to guarantee equivalent rights of workers when outsourcing activities to third parties, as set out in the Corporate Social Responsibility Policy (reviewed September 2023). We are committed to ensuring that the procurement of goods, services, and facilities aligns with our equality, diversity, and inclusion values. We avoid working with suppliers who do not share our commitment to equal opportunity, and we have established procedures to ensure that businesses from diverse communities have fair access to compete for contracts. In support of this, we develop and publish clear Corporate Social Responsibility guidelines in our purchasing manual, outlining the policies and procedures all procurement staff are expected to follow.
In addition, the University is accredited by the Living Wage Foundation, and as such strongly encourages all of its suppliers to pay the Real Living Wage. The University may stipulate in the procurement of its contracts that the Real Living Wage must be paid to all contractors and subcontractors.
Employment Policy – Pay Scale Equity and Tracking of Gender Pay Gaps
The University has an active commitment to pay scale equity, as outlined in its Remuneration Policy (reviewed October 2024). This policy ensures fairness, consistency, and transparency in reward practices, with particular attention to gender and other protected characteristics.
We publish and track our Gender Pay Gap annually through the Gender Pay Gap Report, which provides detailed analysis of current and historical data, along with the initiatives in place to address disparities. This includes our ongoing commitment to the Athena Swan Charter, which supports gender equality and advancement in higher education.
Employment Practice – Appeal Process
The University has various processes for employees to appeal on employee rights and/or pay. The University Grievance Policy aims to ‘enable any member of staff to have their grievance heard and to seek redress as appropriate’. The University’s Job Evaluation Procedure allows staff to request a review of their job role and grade. If they are not satisfied with the outcome, they have the right to appeal, ensuring transparency and fairness in role classification and grading.
Our research
AI-driven supply chain resilience in Vietnamese manufacturing SMEs
Researchers at the University of Huddersfield have carried out a study of 280 manufacturing SMEs in Vietnam into the use of AI in supply chain management, how SMEs can successfully adopt it, and how people within these companies interact with the technology. The research showed that strong leadership plays a key role by fostering a digital culture and building employee skills. The study highlighted that focusing on people and culture is just as important as the technology itself when trying to get real value from AI to improve sustainability, agility and risk management in supply chains.
Find further information
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
We are deeply committed to equality for all students and staff. Explore how we strive maintain a culture of diversity and inclusivity.
Employee reward and recognition
Read more about our competitive rates of pay, defined pension schemes and long service awards for our dedicated staff members.
Student career services
We offer various career services for our students. With dedicated staff and resources, we offer a friendly and supportive environment for all.
Sustainable Development Goals
Click to explore our other sustainable development goal pages and get to know how we're working towards these at the University of Huddersfield.