SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, December 21. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The University of La Laguna (ULL) generates a production of goods and services in its surroundings of 3.85 euros for every euro spent by the academic institution, that is, four times more, according to the analysis of the Canary Islands macroeconomic data corresponding to the year. 2017.
If expenses are eliminated from that amount, the result is an increase in added value of 2.42 for each euro, of which 1.59 are dedicated to the remuneration of salaries and 0.66 to the payment of taxes and contributions to the Social Security that, therefore, end up reverting to the public. Furthermore, every million euros of public spending on the ULL gave rise to 53 full-time jobs.
These are some of the conclusions of the study ‘Socioeconomic Impact of the University of La Laguna’, prepared by the current director of the University Institute of Regional Development and professor of the Department of Economics, Accounting and Finance, Juan José Díaz Hernández, who has been presented today Thursday at the Faculty of Economics, Business and Tourism.
The event was opened by the rector of the University of La Laguna, Francisco García, who pointed out that the presentation of this study was a very important milestone: “We are going to learn rigorous data about what our activity in society entails; an exercise of rigor, commitment and accountability to the society that provides us with resources.
The Vice-Minister of Universities and Education of the Government of the Canary Islands, Ciro Gutiérrez, expressed himself in similar terms, highlighting the importance for the Executive of knowing the impact of public universities: “Those of us who are academics know that they are the main tools, by far, of development in the Canary Islands. The task is to make society understand its importance for the development of our land.
The Secretary General of Universities of the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, José Manuel Pingarrón, intervened online to repeat that line of argument: “Investing in higher education, in science and technology is not an expense, it is an investment that has returns of all kinds, both economic and social”.
To support his opinion, he relied on data from a report on the social impact of the university system presented in May of this year within the Menéndez Pelayo International University, in which he demonstrated that the contribution of these entities represented 2, 2% of the national GDP and 2.4% of the employed population.
‘DRAG’ EFFECT OF THE PRODUCTIVE SECTOR
The researcher explained that his analysis is carried out from short-term demand: the university receives a budget, mostly from public funds, and with it it makes a series of expenses on goods and services to meet its objectives. These expenses “drag” the rest of the productive sector, since they impact the turnover of the university’s supplier companies, and also provide salaries for their human resources, without forgetting that part of what is received is returned in the form of taxes and social contributions.
To prepare the study, several agents have been taken into account: the University of La Laguna itself, its General Foundation, but also its students, the visitors it receives and those who attend its different activities, whether research conferences or events. cultures. The sum of all of them represents the generating expense of the academic Institution, which was 235 million.
For each of these agents, their spending and distribution was analyzed. Thus, for example, the University of La Laguna spent about 150 million euros in 2017, of which 108 million were for personnel and of the remaining 42, 33% was distributed to R&D, 14.2% to retail. , 10.5% to construction/maintenance, 9.5% to cleaning, 7.3% to security, 4.4% to auxiliary services and 4.3% to energy and water.
To know the distribution of student spending, a total of 658 individuals were surveyed and the results were divided between students who reside and do not reside in the family home. The first group is the largest, since in 2017 it represented 81.4% (16,078 people), with an annual expenditure of 35.2 million. The group of students outside the family environment was the least numerous (18.6%, equivalent to 3,677 people) but incurred a much higher expense (since it must cover accommodation), which amounted to 26.6 million per year. Globally, this group of people spends in sectors such as restaurants, real estate services, leisure, transportation and retail.
Of every million invested in the University of La Laguna, 53 full-time jobs were generated, which, in addition, had an average salary 48.5% higher than the Canary Islands average. This verifies that the University not only continues to be a social elevator that favors job insertion, but also generates quality employment. In global terms, the Tenerife public higher education institution contributes 0.99% of employment in the Canary Islands and represents 0.82% of the regional GDP.
