The Department of Economics at the University of Bern, Switzerland, invites applications for a threeyear, full-time postdoctoral research position in Labor Economics, with a flexible start date between June and September 2025. Funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), the position is part of the exciting project “Comparing Bargaining Structures,” co-led by Professor Anastasia Burya and Professor Jeanne Tschopp.
About the Project: The project aims to investigate the effects of different wage bargaining systems on key labor market outcomes, including wage inequality, wage markdowns, unemployment, labor allocation across firms, and aggregate productivity. By bridging macro- and microeconomic approaches, the project seeks to offer novel insights into wage bargaining structures. As a postdoctoral researcher, you will contribute to the following sub-projects:
1. Analysis of Unionized Workers and Firms: Analyze French employer-employee data, linked to financial balance sheets, firm-level, and sectoral agreements, to profile unionized workers and firms.
2. Development of a Theoretical Bargaining Model: Construct a flexible theoretical model that nests various wage bargaining systems. The model will capture key bargaining parameters and allow for comparisons of different structures within a general equilibrium framework.
3. Empirical Estimation, Calibration and Policy Evaluation: Estimate and calibrate the model using the French dataset to assess the trade-offs between bargaining regimes. Quantitatively evaluate their impact on wage inequality, unemployment, and productivity, and conduct counterfactual analyses of labor market reforms in France. Estimate the direct and spillover effects of unionization on wages, unemployment, and productivity by regime type.
• Strong expertise in econometrics, quantitative analysis, and theoretical modeling.
• Experience working with large, matched employer-employee datasets is highly desirable.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills.
• Strong potential to conduct high-quality research, by publications or working papers suitable for publication in reputable international journals.
• Opportunities to engage with a dynamic academic community, including close collaboration with professors and PhD students.
• Funding for travel to international conferences in your second and third years.
• Competitive salary and benefits in line with SNSF guidelines.
In case of further questions, please contact jeanne.tschopp@unibe.ch.
The position will remain open until filled. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
