About this Event
Speaker: Sean Brophy, Senior Lecturer, Man Met Business School
Sean Brophy, a Senior Lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan Business School with previous roles at the Wharton School (UPenn) and as manager of the ERDF-funded Greater Manchester AI Foundry, is a labour economist specializing in human capital, employment migration, and graduate labour market outcomes. Elected a Fellow of both the Royal Geographical Society and the Royal Society of Arts, his work has attracted attention from prominent media outlets, including The Financial Times and Press Association. He has also developed executive education programs for leading firms such as Google, Twitter, and KPMG.
Higher education benefits individuals and society through higher wages and increased productivity. However, in the UK, nearly two-thirds of graduates reside in their childhood areas by age 27, highlighting concerns about the efficient allocation of human capital in the economy. This immobility is particularly pronounced among ethnic minority graduates, who are less likely to move than their white peers.
This study, the first to explore the impact of ethnic identity on graduate migration decisions, analysed the full 2017/18 UK higher education cohort. Results indicate ethnic minority graduates prefer migrating to ethnically diverse areas for work, even after controlling for a rich set of background characteristics, suggesting a trade-off between financial gains and identity benefits. Ethnic minorities may prioritize living in diverse areas over financial advantages, making rational decisions that balance economic and identity-related returns. This underscores the importance of considering ethnic identity in understanding graduate migration patterns, with significant implications for human capital allocation and economic policy.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Manchester Metropolitan University Business School [This is a HYBRID Event - please select preference at ticket allocation], BS 4.04A (N Atrium), Manchester, United Kingdom
GBP 0.00