The World of Work

This key research priority focuses on the world of work and on labour markets, both of which are subject to permanent change. At FAU, these topics are analysed from various perspectives ranging from economics and business studies to social and behavioural science to labour law, occupational medicine and educational science. Researchers specifically investigate the new challenges that workers and firms encounter in the face of demographic, technical and structural change, globalisation, changing work processes, and new forms of employment. The societal and political impacts of these developments are also objects of study. Additional focal points include the connection of education and employment, the changes in work relationships and labour relations, (non-)employment over the life cycle, wage differentials between various groups and the effects of labour market policies. This research focus is also reflected in the research areas “Work – Organization” and “Education and Social Transformation” of the Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Theology and in the research area “Change in the World of Work” at the School of Business and Economics.

Our research is firmly established in the Labor and Socio-Economic Research Center LASER founded in 2007, which is unique in its broad multi- and interdisciplinary research on work and labour issues. There is also a close research cooperation with the Institute for Employment Research (IAB) at the Federal Employment Agency. This cooperation is evident in the joint organisation of international conferences and in a joint graduate programme (GradAB) on labour research. In an effort to promote young researchers, we also cooperate with the “Bavarian Graduate Program in Economics (BGPE)“, which is coordinated by FAU.

Outstanding Activities

• Labour and Socio-Economic Research Center (LASER)
• Research cooperation with the Institute for Employment Research of the Federal Employment Agency (IAB)

Selected research projects:

• DFG PP 2267 − The Digitalisation of Working Worlds. Conceptualising and Capturing a Systemic Transformation
• DFG PP 1764, subproject: Foreign Occupational Credentials on the German Labour Market
• DFG PP 1764, subproject: Wages, Heterogeneities, and Labour Market Dynamics
• DFG PP 1764, subproject: Using randomised field experiments to evaluate support programs for older and low-skilled workers with combined survey-register data
• Joint project of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research: RESILIRE (Age-Sensitive Management of Resilience)
• Volkswagen Foundation: Ageing as Future – Future-related Activities Regarding Age and Ageing in Cross-Cultural Perspective

Contact