Labor Economics

Labor economics seeks to answer questions such as those above. More generally, labor economists study the functioning of labor markets, and how different regulations affect labor market outcomes, such as the number and type of people employed, the wages they earn, and the kind of jobs they get.

The academically most interesting questions in labor economics are almost invariably also highly relevant from a policy perspective. Modern labor economists use increasingly detailed and large data sets, conduct randomized controlled trials, and employ sophisticated econometric tools to provide answers to causal questions.