Salt Lake Community College students working on-campus jobs recently had their pay increased to $14 per hour, just under double the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.
“We know if [students] work on campus – and can stay on campus and can network that way – they’re much more successful, much more likely to compete,” President Deneece Huftalin said during a meeting with the Utah Board of Higher Education in March.
According to a study from Georgetown University, almost 70% of college students work while in school, earning an annual average of $16,000 per year for a 29-hour work week. A student at SLCC would earn $22,620 working the same hours under the college’s new starting wage.
Huftalin also said SLCC would begin using federal funding to open up more on-campus jobs for students.
Ella Aho, director of Career Services at SLCC, told KUER 90.1 in March that they’ve seen a dip in student employment during the COVID economy. Aho believes that raising wages, simplifying the hiring process and offering additional flexibility can bring students back to campus for work.
“You can’t have that at McDonald’s, so they’re willing to maybe make $2 an hour less because of the benefits and the flexibility that makes their lives a lot easier,” she said.
SLCC’s raising of its starting wage followed the announcement that the college would increase tuition and student fees by 4% and 5.62% respectively, effective through spring 2023.
For more information about jobs available on campus for students, visit SLCC’s student employment webpage.
