Amid financial constraints and evolving legislative frameworks, how can the university continue to deliver and enhance value for its students?

As financial and operational pressures intensify across the Higher Education (HE) sector, university HR leaders are being asked to deliver more with fewer resources.

Workforce planning, compliance, and cost control are under increasing scrutiny. At the same time, student expectations of value, employability and support continue to rise especially amid the ongoing cost of living crisis. A key challenge that impacts all these issues is how universities manage part time and temporary student employment. While frequently overlooked, student work plays a dual role: supporting internal staffing needs while contributing directly to student success and wellbeing. But in many institutions, the current approach to recruitment is fragmented, costly, and inequitable. By centralising temporary staffing through a university led, compliant recruitment service, HR teams have an opportunity to streamline operations, widen access, reduce cost, and strengthen institutional resilience.

The challenge: Fragmentation, inequality, and hidden costs

Across many universities, student jobs particularly those within departments are shared informally or filled through external agencies. This presents several problems:

• Inconsistent access: Roles often go to students already known to staff or connected to specific courses, limiting opportunities for others.
• Compliance risks: Informal hiring makes it harder to monitor safeguarding, right to work, and visa restrictions particularly for international students.
• Unnecessary spend: Agencies typically charge high margins and VAT on internal placements.

For HR leaders, this creates a fragmented recruitment landscape that limits visibility and adds complexity at a time when institutions need better control and efficiency.

The case for change: Strategic benefits for HR

A centralised, university run recruitment model for temporary staffing addresses several key HR priorities:

1. Improved compliance and reduced risk

Visa restrictions, right to work legislation, and safeguarding regulations are non-negotiable. A structured, HE specific recruitment system ensures these obligations are met and monitored centrally mitigating institutional risk and reducing the burden on overstretched HR teams.

2. Significant cost savings

When temporary roles are filled internally via a university owned service, VAT is not payable, and agency margins are also avoided. This can represent significant annual savings especially for institutions with high demand for short term or flexible staffing across departments.

3. Operational efficiency

A standardised recruitment process enables faster onboarding, clearer reporting, and consistent HR practices across the university. Hiring managers benefit from a single point of contact, while HR teams gain visibility into workforce planning and spend.

4. Greater equity in student access

Centralising job opportunities ensures all students, including those less likely to network or navigate departmental pathways, can access roles. This supports widening participation goals and fosters a more inclusive student experience. For international students, visa restrictions and employer uncertainty often limit part-time work opportunities. A system that tracks hours and work eligibility in compliance with UKVI rules enables universities to confidently offer jobs to international students, enhancing inclusion and attracting a diverse student body.

Beyond campus: Local engagement and employability

Employability remains a key strategic priority across the sector. Facilitating student access to part time work, both on campus and with local businesses, supports skills development and graduate outcomes. With the right compliance and administrative infrastructure, universities can also extend their recruitment offering to local employers generating a new income stream while giving students access to meaningful work in the local economy. A well-run recruitment model supports both civic engagement and financial sustainability.

A proven model: Unitemps in context

Unitemps, established by the University of Warwick in 1997, offers a university owned recruitment solution tailored to the unique needs of higher education. Operating across 20 UK universities, Unitemps supports internal departmental hiring, student placements, and external business recruitment all while ensuring legal compliance and operational efficiency.

Key features include:

• Visa compliance monitoring, recommended by UKVI auditors
• No VAT on internal placements, lowering recruitment costs
• Full payroll and HR support, reducing administrative load
• Central advertising, improving visibility and equity in access
• HE specific training and compliance support, Unitemps branches benefit from dedicated expert guidance provided by the University of Warwick’s central team. With decades of sector knowledge and a proven track record, Warwick’s compliance specialists ensure that Unitemps partners stay ahead of legislative changes and sector developments. Helping universities remain compliant and confident in a rapidly changing regulatory environment.
• Income generation, as Unitemps branches are hosted within the university, any surplus revenue is retained locally and can be reinvested to enhance the student experience.

Why this matters for HR leadership

For HR Directors, rethinking student and temporary recruitment is a strategic opportunity.

• Stronger compliance with fewer resource demands
• Tangible cost savings in a financially constrained environment
• Improved visibility into workforce planning and student engagement
• Alignment with key institutional goals around inclusion, employability, and civic engagement

In an environment where HR teams must drive efficiency and deliver measurable impact, Unitemps provides a proven pathway to achieve efficiency, compliance and value. Student employment is no longer a peripheral activity, it’s a core component of the student experience and a vital part of university operations. By bringing structure and visibility to this area, HR leaders can turn a fragmented process into a strategic asset.

For further information or to discuss how the Unitemps model could operate within your institution, please contact the Unitemps Franchise team on frm@unitemps.com