Job offer: research assistant.
For the IAW research focus “Labor Markets and Social Security” we are looking for a full-time or part-time (at least 50%) research assistant (m/f/d) to assist with statistical studies as soon as possible.
The Institute for Applied Economic Research, located in Tübingen, Germany, is an independent research institute at the University of Tübingen. The IAW’s objective is
to apply economic and social research to issues relating to the private and public economy. Its scientific work contributes to the empirical basis for economic policymaking.
In the following, you will receive an overview of the individual subjects. For more information please click on the topic of interest.
In this field of research, IAW mainly focuses on impact analyses and process-accompanying evaluations of various labor market policies. Another research topic are the effects of legal regulations on the labor market.
Demographic change, the shortage of skilled workers and the increasing inequality of market incomes are central challenges for the social security system. Our research focuses on poverty and wealth, social mobility, rehabilitation and retirement, and working conditions in care.
Research on education issues is an important field of research at the IAW. The focus is on the transition between school and work, on the development of training and further education, on digitization processes in the education sector and on the returns to education.
The IAW feels closely connected to the state of Baden-Württemberg and its economic and social development. In many research projects, we examine current challenges, opportunities and risks of companies and employees in different industries and regions of Baden-Württemberg.
We investigate the significance of international trade and migration for incomes and employment in the state of Baden-Württemberg and the German economy. The focus of our research lies in trade agreements as well as European Integration on goods and factor markets.
Due to demographic change, the topics of migration and integration will gain in importance in the future. Quantitative questions becoming increasingly important for the national economy, e.g. forms of managing immigration and the attractiveness for potential migrants, while qualitative questions may treat about criteria for successful integration.
For the IAW research focus “Labor Markets and Social Security” we are looking for a full-time or part-time (at least 50%) research assistant (m/f/d) to assist with statistical studies as soon as possible.
The IAW mourns the loss of its honorary member, former German President Professor Dr. Horst Köhler, who passed away on February 1, 2025 at the age of 81.
Horst Köhler was a research assistant at the IAW from 1969 to 1976, during which time he wrote his dissertation entitled “Release of labor through technical progress”. The fact that he worked on a topic whose topicality is still unbroken shows his foresight, which went far beyond the technical perspective. In many of his later professional positions in federal ministries, at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and at the International Monetary Fund, he bore responsibility at a critical time. He was President of the Federal Republic of Germany from July 1, 2004 to May 31, 2010.
Time and again, he provided the IAW with advice and support. He had been a personal member of the association since 1999 and became an honorary member of the IAW e.V. in 2003, the same year the University of Tübingen made him an honorary professor. His speech to mark the 50th anniversary of the IAW in 2007 is a lasting memory. After his term in office as Federal President, he turned his attention to the importance of Africa for the European economy and foreign policy - again a topic whose long-term significance few recognized as clearly as he did. The IAW owes him a great debt of gratitude for his initiatives and many connections.
The IAW will always remember its honorary member and continue his work in his spirit. Our thoughts are with his family.
A recent short study by the IMPULS Foundation of the VDMA examines the potential of the transitional area between school and work to alleviate the shortage of skilled labour in mechanical and plant engineering. The analysis carried out by the IAW shows that many young people in the transitional area are basically suitable for training. Targeted support and awareness-raising could attract them to careers in mechanical and plant engineering.
As a result of the weak growth of the official economy and increasing unemployment, the shadow economy in Germany will continue to rise in 2025. The avoidance of cold progression and the relatively small increase in the minimum wage counteract this trend, but can only slow it down slightly. According to the forecast, the size of the shadow economy will increase in nominal terms to 511 billion euros, which is an increase of 6.1 % compared to the previous year. Adjusted for prices, the increase is 3.8 %. The ratio of the forecast shadow economy to measured gross domestic product (GDP) will increase to 11.5 per cent.
IAW News 4/2024 (in German)