Evidence-based policy making
IZA World of Labor is an online platform that provides policy analysts, journalists, academics and society generally with relevant and concise information on labor market issues. Based on the latest research, it provides current thinking on labor markets worldwide in a clear and accessible style. IZA World of Labor aims to support evidence-based policy making and increase awareness of labor market issues, including current concerns like the impact of Covid-19, and longer-term problems like inequality.
Income-contingent loans in higher education financing
Internationally, there has been a student financing revolution toward income-contingent loans
Around ten countries currently use a variant of a national income-contingent loans (ICL) scheme for higher education tuition. Increased international interest in ICL validates an examination of its costs and benefits relative to the traditional financing system, time-based repayment loans (TBRLs). TBRLs exhibit poor economic characteristics for borrowers: namely high repayment burdens (loan repayments as a proportion of income) for the disadvantaged and default. The latter both damages credit reputations and can be associated with high taxpayer subsidies through continuing unpaid debts. ICLs avoid these problems as repayment burdens are capped by design, eliminating default.
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Unemployment benefits and unemployment Updated
The challenge of unemployment benefits is to protect workers while minimizing undesirable side effects
Robert MoffittWonsik Ko , June 2024All developed economies have unemployment benefit programs to protect workers against major income losses during spells of unemployment. By enabling unemployed workers to meet basic consumption needs, the programs protect workers from having to sell their assets or accept jobs below their qualifications. The programs also help stabilize the economy during recessions. If benefits are too generous, however, the programs can lengthen unemployment and raise the unemployment rate. The policy challenge is to protect workers while minimizing undesirable side effects.MoreLess -
The effects of public sector employment on the economy Updated
The size and wage level of the public sector affect overall employment volatility and the economy
Vincenzo CaponiSimone Nobili , June 2024Public sector jobs are established by governments to directly provide goods and services. Governments may also choose to regulate the size of the public sector in order to stabilize targeted national employment levels. However, economic research suggests that these effects are uncertain and critically depend on how public wages are determined. Rigid public sector wages lead to perverse effects on private employment, while flexible public wages lead to a stabilizing effect. Public employment also has important productivity and redistributive effects.MoreLess -
Public or private job placement services — Are private ones more effective? Updated
Outsourcing to the private sector can only be effective if the service quality can be contracted on
Gesine Stephan , May 2024Expenditures on job placement and related services make up a substantial share of many countries’ gross domestic products. Contracting out to private providers is often proposed as a cost-efficient alternative to the state provision of placement services. However, the responsible state agency has to be able and willing to design and monitor sufficiently complete contracts to ensure that the private contractors deliver the desired service quality. None of the empirical evidence indicates that contracting-out is necessarily more effective or more cost-efficient than public employment services.MoreLess -
Entrepreneurship for the poor in developing countries Updated
Well-designed entrepreneurship programs show promise for improving earnings and livelihoods of poor workers
Yoonyoung Cho , May 2024Can entrepreneurship programs be successful labor market policies for the poor? A large share of workers in developing countries are self-employed (mostly own-account workers without paid employees, often interchangeably used as micro entrepreneurs). Their share among all workers has not changed much over the past two decades in the developing world. Entrepreneurship programs provide access to finance (or assets) and advisory and networking services as well as business training with the aim of boosting workers’ earnings and reducing poverty. Programs vary in design, which can affect their impact on outcomes. Recent studies have identified some promising approaches that are yielding positive results, such as combining training and financial support.MoreLess -
The labor market in Brazil, 2001–2022 Updated
Brazil’s long-lasting recession has hurt the poor and has reversed inequality trends
Sergio Pinheiro FirpoAlysson Lorenzon Portella , April 2024In the first decade of the 21st century, the Brazilian economy experienced an important expansion followed by a significant decline in inequality. The minimum wage increased rapidly, reducing inequality with no negative effects on employment or formality. This resulted from economic growth and greater supply of skilled labor. However, from 2014-2021, real wages were stagnant, and unemployment rates surged. Inequality rose again, although only marginally. Some positive signs emerged in 2022, although it is still too early to know whether they mark a return to past trends or a recovery from the pandemic.MoreLess -
The importance of informal learning at work Updated
On-the-job learning is more important for workers’ human capital development than formal training
Andries De Grip , March 2024Although early human capital theory recognized the relevance of workers’ experience, its focus was on education and formal training. More recent studies show that much of the performance of newly hired workers is driven by learning by doing or learning from peers or supervisors in the workplace. Descriptive data show that workers learn a lot from the various tasks they perform on the job. Informal learning at work seems to be relevant for all age groups, although it is more meaningful for younger workers’ performance. Informal learning is far more important for workers’ human capital development than formal training courses.MoreLess -
Compensating displaced workers Updated
Job displacement is a serious earnings risk and the displaced are typically poorly insured
Donald O. Parsons , February 2024Job displacement is a serious earnings risk to long-tenured workers, both through spells of unemployment and through reduced wages on subsequent jobs. Less developed countries often rely exclusively on government mandated employer-provided severance pay to protect displaced workers. Higher income countries usually rely on public unemployment insurance and mandated severance pay. Beyond these options, more administratively demanding plans have been proposed, including UI savings accounts and “actual loss” wage insurance, though real-world experience on either model is lacking.MoreLess -
Trans people, well-being, and labor market outcomes Updated
Transitioning across gender is related to greater life and job satisfaction but also affects acceptance in one’s society
Nick Drydakis , January 2024Acceptance of one’s gender identity and congruence between one’s gender identity and outward appearance are associated with less adverse mental health symptoms, and greater life and job satisfaction. However, trans people are subject to human rights violations, hate crimes, and experience higher unemployment and poverty than the general population. Trans people often feel that they are citizens who are not allowed to be themselves and practice their authentic identity. Many biased treatments of trans people could be attenuated if legal protections and inclusive workplace practices were in place.MoreLess -
Labor market institutions and policies in old and new EU members Updated
After three recessions, a new emphasis on the importance of collective institutions and social dialogue is emerging
Riccardo Rovelli , January 2024Old and new EU member states still adopt quite different labor market institutions and policies: convergence has been partial and limited. Nevertheless, a new agreement is spreading on the importance of well-developed, coordinated institutions, supported by social dialogue, in view of the increasing challenges posed by the macro economy and by the increasing fragmentation of labor markets.MoreLess -
Multiple job-holding: Career pathway or dire straits? Updated
Moonlighting responds to economic needs, but can generate new skills and careers
Konstantinos PouliakasWieteke S. Conen , December 2023Multiple job-holding, or “moonlighting”, is an important form of atypical employment in most economies. New forms of work, driven by digitalization, may enable its future growth. However, many misconceptions exist, including the belief that multiple job-holders are only low-skilled individuals who moonlight primarily for financial reasons, or that the practice increases during economic downturns. Recent literature highlights the significant links between moonlighting and job mobility. Multiple job-holding allows for the development of workers’ skills and spurs entrepreneurship.MoreLess -
Rethinking the skills gap Updated
Better understanding of skills mismatch is essential to finding effective policy options
Evidence suggests that productivity would be much higher and unemployment much lower if the supply of and demand for skills were better matched. As a result, skills mismatch between workers (supply) and jobs (demand) commands the ongoing attention of policymakers in many countries. Policies intended to address the persistence of skills mismatch focus on the supply side of the issue by emphasizing worker education and training. However, the role of the demand side, that is, employers’ rigid skill requirements, garners comparatively little policy attention.MoreLess -
Climate change, natural disasters, and migration Updated
The relationship between climate change, natural disasters, and migration is not straightforward and presents many complexities
Linguère Mously MbayeAssi Okara , November 2023The relationship between climatic shocks, climate related disasters, and migration has received increasing attention in recent years and is quite controversial. One view suggests that climate change and its associated natural disasters increase migration. An alternative view suggests that climate change may only have marginal effects on migration. Knowing whether climate change and natural disasters lead to more migration is crucial to better understand the different channels of transmission between climatic shocks and migration and to formulate evidence-based policy recommendations for the efficient management of the consequences of natural disasters.MoreLess -
Employers and the gender wage gap
Sorting across workplaces, and unequal rewards within them, are major causes of the gender wage gap
John ForthNikolaos Theodoropoulos , October 2023In most developed countries, women have closed the gap in educational attainment and labor market experience, yet gender wage gaps persist. This has led to an increased focus on the role of employers and employment practices. In particular, research has focused on the types of workplace where men and women work, their promotion prospects and the extent to which they are rewarded differently for similar work. Understanding the relative importance of these features, and the mechanisms that generate them, is necessary to design effective policy responses.MoreLess -
How are minimum wages set? Updated
Countries set minimum wages in different ways, and some countries set different wages for different groups of workers
Richard Dickens , September 2023The minimum wage has never been as high on the political agenda as it is today, with politicians in Germany, the UK, the US, and other OECD countries implementing substantial increases in the rate. One reason for the rising interest is the growing consensus among economists and policymakers that minimum wages, set at the right level, may help low paid workers without harming employment prospects. But how should countries set their minimum wage rate? The processes that countries use to set their minimum wage rate and structure differ greatly, as do the methods for adjusting it. The different approaches have merits and shortcomings.MoreLess -
Should the earned income tax credit rise for childless adults? Updated
The earned income tax credit boosts income and work effort among low-income parents, especially single mothers, and has contributed to the steep rise in employment among single mothers in the 1990s.
Harry J. Holzer , September 2023The earned income tax credit provides important benefits to low-income families with children. At substantial costs (over $70 billion to the US federal government), it increases the incomes of such families while encouraging parents to work more by subsidizing their incomes. But low-income adults without children and non-custodial parents receive very low payments under the program in most years. Many of these adults are less-educated men, whose labor force participation rates and relative wages have been declining for years. They might benefit significantly from a more generous earned income tax credit for childless adults.MoreLess -
Do institutions matter for entrepreneurial development? Updated
In post-Soviet countries, well-functioning institutions are needed to foster productive entrepreneurial development and growth
Ruta Aidis , August 2023Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the differing impact of institutions on entrepreneurship development is undeniable. Several post-Soviet countries benefitted from early international integration by joining the EU, adopting the euro, and becoming OECD members. This process enabled entrepreneurship to develop within institutional contexts where democratic and free market principles were strengthened. In general, however, post-Soviet economies continue to be characterized by higher levels of corruption, complex business regulations, weak rule of law, uncertain property rights and often, lack of political will for institutional change.MoreLess -
How should job displacement wage losses be insured? Updated
Wage losses upon re-employment can seriously harm long-tenured displaced workers if they are not properly insured
Donald O. Parsons , July 2023Job displacement represents a serious earnings risk to long-tenured workers through lower re-employment wages, and these losses may persist for many years. Moreover, this risk is often poorly insured, although not for a lack of policy interest. To reduce this risk, most countries mandate scheduled wage insurance (severance pay), although it is provided only voluntarily in others, including the US. Actual-loss wage insurance is uncommon, although perceived difficulties may be overplayed. Both approaches offer the hope of greater consumption smoothing, with actual-loss plans carrying greater promise, but more uncertainty, of success.MoreLess -
Instruction time and educational outcomes
The quality of instruction and the activities it replaces determine the success of increased instruction time
Andrés Barrios Fernández , July 2023Increasing instruction time might seem a simple way to improve students' outcomes. However, there is substantial variation in its effects reported in the literature. When focusing on school day extensions, some studies find no effects, while others find that an additional hour of daily instruction significantly improves test scores. A similar pattern arises when examining the effect of additional days of class. These mixed findings likely reflect differences in the quality of instruction or in the activities that are being replaced by additional instruction. Hence these elements need to be considered when designing policies that increase instruction time.MoreLess -
How to support adult caregivers?
Caregiving for older adults is detrimental to caregivers’ well-being and requires policy interventions to support them
Joan Costa-Font , June 2023Some studies estimate that the value of time spent on unpaid caregiving is 2.7% of the GDP of the EU. Such a figure exceeds what EU countries spend on formal long-term care as a share of GDP (1.5%). Adult caregiving can exert significant harmful effects on the well-being of caregivers and can exacerbate the existing gender inequalities in employment. To overcome the detrimental cognitive costs of fulfilling the duty of care to older adults, focus should be placed on the development of support networks, providing caregiving subsidies, and enhancing labor market legislation that brings flexibility and level-up pay.MoreLess -
The widespread impacts of remittance flows Updated
Remittances have the potential to lift developing economies
Catalina Amuedo-DorantesSusan Pozo , May 2023Remittances have risen spectacularly in absolute terms and in relation to traditional sources of foreign exchange, such as export revenues. Remittances can improve the well-being of family members left behind and boost growth rates of receiving economies. They can also create a culture of dependency, lowering labor force participation in recipient nations, promoting conspicuous consumption, and accelerating environmental degradation. A more thorough understanding of their impacts can help formulate policies that enable developing economies to harness the most out of these monetary inflows.MoreLess -
Unions and investment in intangible capital Updated
When workers and firms cannot commit to long-term contracts and capital investments are sunk, union power can reduce investment
Gabriele CardulloGiovanni Sulis , May 2023Although coverage of collective bargaining agreements has been declining for decades in most countries, it is still extensive, especially in non-Anglo-Saxon countries. Strong unions may influence firms' incentives to invest in capital, particularly in sectors where capital investments are sunk (irreversible), as in research-intensive sectors. Whether unions affect firms' investment in capital depends on the structure and coordination of bargaining, the preference of unions between wages and employment, the quality of labor-management relations, the structure of corporate governance, and the existence of social pacts, among other factors.MoreLess -
Eliminating discrimination in hiring isn’t enough
Firms interested in workplace diversity should consider the post-hiring stage and why some minority employees choose to leave
Mackenzie Alston , May 2023While many firms have recognized the importance of recruiting and hiring diverse job applicants, they should also pay attention to the challenges newly hired diverse candidates may face after entering the company. It is possible that they are being assessed by unequal or unequitable standards compared to their colleagues, and they may not have sufficient access to opportunities and resources that would benefit them. These disparities could affect the career trajectory, performance, satisfaction, and retention of minority employees. Potential solutions include randomizing task assignments and creating inclusive networking and support opportunities.MoreLess -
Maternity leave versus early childcare—What are the long-term consequences for children? Updated
Despite increasingly generous parental leave schemes their advantages over subsidized childcare remain unclear
Nabanita Datta GuptaJonas Jessen , May 2023There is growing agreement among parents in high-income countries that having a working mother does not harm a preschool child. Yet, research is ongoing on what the long-term effects on children are of being looked after at home (primarily by their mothers) or in childcare. Most studies find positive effects of childcare on child outcomes for children from disadvantaged backgrounds and moderate effects for children from more advantaged backgrounds. Policymakers need to improve compensation and the working environment for the sector if a high quality level is to be achieved and if the beneficial effects are to be maintained.MoreLess -
Female education and its impact on fertility Updated
Additional female educational attainment generally lowers fertility, but the relationship is complex
Jungho Kim , May 2023The negative correlation between women's education and fertility has been observed across regions and time, although it is now weaker among high-income countries. Women's education level could affect fertility through its impact on women's health and their physical capacity to give birth, children's health, the number of children desired, and women's ability to control birth and knowledge of different birth control methods. Each of these mechanisms depends on the individual, institutional, and country circumstances experienced. Their relative importance may change along a country's economic development process.MoreLess -
The Danish labor market, 2000–2022 Updated
The Danish flexicurity model has proven its resilience to large shocks, with favorable overall labor market performance
Torben M. Andersen , April 2023Denmark is often highlighted as a “flexicurity” country with lax employment protection legislation, generous unemployment insurance, and active labor market policies. This model has coped with the Great Recession and the Covid-19 pandemic, avoiding large increases in long-term and structural unemployment. The recovery from Covid-19 alongside re-openings has been swift, so labor market effects were temporary. A string of recent reforms has boosted labor supply and employment; although fiscal sustainability is ensured, demographic changes challenge the labor market. Real wage growth has been positive and responded—with some lag—to unemployment.MoreLess -
Trust in management in organizations
Employee trust in their managers allows a firm to delegate decision-making, aiding both productivity and profitability
Kieron MeagherAndrew Wait , April 2023It is not possible for a formal employment contract to detail everything an employee should do and when. Informal relationships, in particular trust, allow managers to arrange a business in a more productive way; high-trust firms are both more profitable and faster growing. For example, if they are trusted, managers can delegate decisions to employees with confidence that employees will believe the promised rewards. This is important because employees are often better informed than their bosses. Consequently, firms that rely solely on formal contracts will miss profitable opportunities.MoreLess -
How digital payments can benefit entrepreneurs Updated
Digital payments can effectively connect entrepreneurs with banks, employees, suppliers, and new markets
Leora Klapper , April 2023Digital payment systems can conveniently and affordably connect entrepreneurs with banks, employees, suppliers, and new markets for their goods and services. These systems can accelerate business registration and payments for business licenses and permits by reducing travel time and expenses. Digital financial services can also improve access to savings accounts and loans. Electronic wage payments to workers can increase security and reduce the time and cost of paying employees. Yet, there are challenges as many entrepreneurs and employees lack bank accounts, digital devices, and reliable technology infrastructure.MoreLess -
Performance measures and worker productivity Updated
Choosing the right performance measures can inform and improve decision-making in policy and management
Jan Sauermann , April 2023Measuring workers’ productivity is important for public policy and private-sector decision-making. Due to the lack of a general measure that captures workers’ productivity, firms often use one- or multi-dimensional performance measures, which can be used, for example, to analyze how different incentive systems affect workers’ behavior. The public sector itself also uses measures to monitor and evaluate personnel, such as teachers. Policymakers and managers need to understand the advantages and disadvantages of the available metrics to select the right performance measures for their purpose.MoreLess -
Does it pay to be beautiful? Updated
Physically attractive people can earn more, particularly in customer-facing jobs, and the rewards for men are higher than for women
Eva SierminskaKaran Singhal , March 2023It is a well-established view amongst economists that good-looking people have a better chance of employment and can earn more than those who are less physically attractive. A “beauty premium” is particularly apparent in jobs where there is a productivity gain associated with good looks, though this varies for women and men, and varies across countries. People sort into occupations according to the relative returns to their physical and other characteristics; good-looking people take jobs where physical appearance is deemed important while less-attractive people steer away from them, or they are required to be more productive for the same wage.MoreLess -
Should countries auction immigrant visas? Updated
Selling the right to immigrate to the highest bidders would allocate visas efficiently but might raise ethical concerns
Madeline Zavodny , March 2023Many immigrant destination countries face considerable pressure to change their immigration policies. One of the most innovative policies is auctioning the right to immigrate or to hire a foreign worker to the highest bidders. Visa auctions would be more efficient than current ways of allocating visas, could boost the economic contribution of immigration to the destination country, and would increase government revenues. However, visa auctions might weaken the importance of family ties in the migration process and create concerns about fairness and accessibility. No country has yet auctioned visas, although several have considered doing so.MoreLess -
Alternative dispute resolution Updated
Promoting accurate bargainer expectations regarding outcomes from binding dispute resolution is worth the effort
David L. Dickinson , March 2023Alternative dispute resolution procedures such as arbitration and mediation are the most common methods for resolving wage, contract, and grievance disputes, but they lead to varying levels of success and acceptability of the outcome depending on their design. Some innovative procedures, not yet implemented in the real world, are predicted to improve on existing procedures in some ways. Controlled tests of several procedures show that the simple addition of a nonbinding stage prior to binding dispute resolution can produce the best results in terms of cost (monetary and “uncertainty” costs) and acceptability.MoreLess -
The labor market in Poland, 2000−2021 Updated
Employment has been rising, but disadvantaged groups and low participation of older people pose challenges
Piotr LewandowskiIga Magda , March 2023In the early 2000s, Poland's unemployment rate reached 20%. That is now a distant memory, as employment has increased noticeably and the unemployment rate had dropped to 3.4% in 2021. The labor force participation of older workers increased following reforms aimed at prolonging careers. However, participation remains low compared to most developed countries and the reversal of the statutory retirement age in 2017 leaves Poland vulnerable to the effects of population aging. Rising immigration has eased the resulting labor shortages, but women, people with disabilities, and agricultural workers remain underemployed. During the Covid-19 pandemic the slowdown in economic growth and increase in unemployment were small.MoreLess
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Jul 01, 2024
Why are wages often set at round numbers?
New study reveals "coarse wage-setting": Firms use simple heuristics when uncertain about optimal salaries -
Jun 26, 2024
Gender differences in graduate degree choices affect early-career earnings
Female graduates are less likely to do further study in STEM fields -
Jun 14, 2024
Experts divided on climate risk pricing
New study explores how finance professionals' beliefs and mental models influence stock return expectations
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Oct 10, 2024 - Oct 11, 2024
IZA/ECONtribute Workshop on the Economics of Education
Online
The 8th IZA/ECONtribute Workshop on the Economics of Education will convene international scholars focusing on the development of skills within both formal and informal educational contexts and their valuation in the labor market. The conference will feature a select group of presenters, alongside a poster session for local researchers from the host institutions. Presentations and the keynote speech will be accessible via Zoom to an external audience.
IZA World of Labor panel discussion on health and the labor markets
IZA World of Labor discussion on the economics of sport
IZA World of Labor discussion on the economics of education
IZA World of Labor discussion on the economics of crime
IZA World of Labor discussion on higher education
IZA World of Labor discussion on the environment and the labor market
IZA World of Labor discussion on inflation and the labor market
IZA World of Labor panel on the macroeconomics of labor productivity
IZA World of Labor video on inequality and post transition in emerging economies
IZA World of Labor discussion on labor market evaluation
IZA World of Labor discussion on the economics of education
IZA World of Labor discussion on labor market institutions
IZA World of Labor discussion on measuring poverty with Bruce D. Meyer
IZA World of Labor panel discussion on environment and health
IZA World of Labor panel discussion on gender and family issues
IZA World of Labor panel discussion on migration issues
Panel discussion on the impact of Covid-19 and today's labor market in Europe and the U.S.
IZA World of Labor Panel discussion on inequality, unemployment, wage setting and inflation
IZA World of Labor Panel Discussion on Women in Leadership
Nina Smith on the gender pay gap: An interview with with Daniel S. Hamermesh
Interview with Antti Kauhanen on gender differences in corporate hierarchies
Gender discrimination and sexual harassment: A discussion with Joni Hersch
Panel discussion on air pollution and human development
The gender pay gap: Solomon W. Polachek in conversation with Daniel S. Hamermesh
Panel discussion on labor-force participation issues: Hie Joo Ahn, John Coglianese & Jason Faberman
Discrimination and anti-discrimination policies: Harry Holzer in discussion with Daniel S Hamermesh
Indigenous peoples, inequality and immigration: Randy Akee in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh
Racial wage differentials in developed countries: Simonetta Longhi in discussion with Dan Hamermesh
Slavery, racial inequality & education: Graziella Bertocchi in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh
Inequality and informality in transition and emerging countries: Roberto Dell'Anno and Dan Hamermesh
Automation and the future of jobs: Stijn Broecke in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh
Income inequality and social origins: Lorenzo Cappellari in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh
Measuring income inequality: Ija Trapeznikova in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh
The impact of Covid-19 in South Africa: Haroon Bhorat in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh
The impact of Covid-19 in Chile: Diana Kruger in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh
The impact of Covid-19 in Japan: Daiji Kawaguchi in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh
The impact of Covid-19 in Ireland: Alan Barrett in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh
The impact of Covid-19 in Spain: Juan Dolado in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh
The impact of Covid-19 in Canada: Phil Oreopoulos in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh
The impact of Covid-19 in Sweden: Helena Holmlund in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh
The impact of Covid-19 in Germany: Andreas Peichl in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh
IZA World of Labor explains inequality
Daniel Hamermesh - Labor costs
Pierre Cahuc - Short-term work compensation
Astrid Kunze - Why do women fall behind men
Susan Houseman - Controversy behind the recent growth of agency work
Susan Houseman - Temporary work employment
Libertad Gonzalez - What areas does divorce legislation affect?
Libertad Gonzalez - Social impact of divorce legislation
Libertad Gonzalez - Why should policymakers be concerned about divorce laws?
Gary Fields - Self-employed poor people in developing economies
John S. Earle - Does privatization lead to job losses and wage cuts?
Bart Cockx - Belgium labor market
Astrid Kunze - Norway labor market
Escaping the debt trap: Long-run effects of individual debt relief
Empowering local talent
ChatGPT in the workplace: Who's adopting and what's holding others back?
Small children, big problems
How perceived inequality shapes well-being
Reducing presenteeism
Essential yet vulnerable
Working from home increases work-home distances
Intergenerational mobility and credit
Mental health at scale
Parental investments
How differences in job search drive the gender earnings gap
From steel to skills
How human capital reshapes religious affiliation
From refugees to citizens
Transforming societies through education
The impact of abortion bans on birth rates
Reaching for gold!
Seasonal allergies and accidents
Redefining aging
Navigating innovation
Is vocational education and training (VET) an option to increase education and employment?
The parenthood penalty in mental health
How female leaders are transforming workplace dynamics
Managerial stress accelerates aging and increases mortality among CEOs
Traumas of the past
How Many Layoffs Could Be Avoided by Pay Cuts?
Were COVID and the Great Recession Well-being Reducing?
Closing the Gender Pay Gap: A Fresh Approach
Is Your Office Safe? Unpacking the #MeToo Numbers
Where are the fathers?
More accurate weather forecast and mortality
Why Degrowth won’t save the world
Exposure to war and its labor market consequences
Slow traffic, fast food: The effects of time lost on food store choice
Working from home during Covid and women’s job satisfaction
Do international tourist arrivals change residents’ attitudes toward immigration?
The child penalty for graduates
ChatGPT and IZA World of Labor
Does providing social services reduce the risk of repeated domestic abuse?
The direct and indirect effects of online job search advice
Ranking the happiness of countries and states
Telework during the Covid-19 pandemic
Mergers and the labor market
“If you have your health, you have everything”? The true value of health
Labor market concentration and competition policy across the Atlantic
The gift of a lifetime: The hospital, modern medicine, and mortality
The impact of limiting the outsourcing of jobs
Air pollution and the labor market
Judging affirmative action
Working from home around the world
Job loss during Covid-19 in sub-Saharan Africa
Pass-through and consumer responses to alcohol tax increases
Does gender inequality in today’s labor market perpetuate gender inequality in future generations?
Paying for amenities at work
Can wage transparency alleviate gender sorting in the labor market?
Has the willingness to work fallen during the Covid pandemic?
The recent push toward unionization in the US
Religious diversity improves trust and performance
Effects of the Russia-Ukraine crisis on food prices and well-being
The four-day workweek
Immigration, employment, and innovation
Transgender people face significant economic challenges
The importance of extracurricular activities at school for future managers
School closures and effective in-person learning during Covid-19: When, where, and for whom
Cutting back on work during Covid: How was it done?
A persistent casualty of Covid-19: Children’s skill development
Digital payments surged during Covid-19 in the developing world. What are the opportunities for workers?
Labor markets in low-income countries: Challenges and opportunities
Who benefits when migrants return to developing countries?
How do widespread shocks affect people’s desires to redistribute income?
Employer market power in Silicon Valley
Microfinance and rural non-farm employment in developing countries during the Covid-19 crisis
How do labor market institutions affect job creation and productivity growth?
Can market mechanisms solve refugee crises?
Saving the planet and creating jobs
Masking, Covid-19, and social identity
Does health professionalism among bureaucrats help weather the Covid-19 pandemic?
Solving pension crises
Emigration and the wages of those who stay behind
The shadow economy and the Covid-19 pandemic crisis
How to support the self-employed in developing countries
Substance use and academic performance
Pandemics and the prospects for higher education in developing countries
The challenges of regulating the labor market in developing countries
What economic value is there in speaking another language?: An interview with Gilles Grenier
Household production, what is it and how do we value it?: An interview with Leslie S. Stratton
Low pay jobs, do they “scar” future job prospects?: An interview with Claus Schnabel
Tutoring: An effective solution to help disadvantaged children
The challenging plight of widows
International trade restrictions and the impact on GDP: An interview with L. Alan Winters
Job search during a pandemic recession
What does the Covid-19 R&D response tell us about innovation?
Helping the poor to comply with social distancing
Lifestyle and mental health disruptions during Covid-19
Does Covid-19 make us more averse to inequality?