The Research Unit “Labour Markets and Social Insurance” examines institutional frameworks and structural changes of labour markets in Europe and America. It analyses labour market outcomes of individuals, firms and regions. Specifically, it studies the consequences of education, digitalisation, immigration and health-related social insurance for employment, wages, and equality of opportunity. The Research Unit also investigates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on human capital and labour markets.

The Unit has a long track record of combining academic research with research-based policy advice and institutional expertise. In terms of methods, the Unit employs publicly available micro datasets, administrative datasets and self-produced surveys that link workers to firm-level data. To analyse causal effects, it employs applied market design, microeconomic and microeconometric tools.