Student Assistant for "Trade Unions, Collective Bargaining and Income Stagnation in Europe"

Max-Planck-Institut für Gesellschaftsforschung; Deutschland; Vor Ort; Teilzeit

Zusammenfassung

A prestigious research institute in Germany is seeking a Student Assistant to work on a project about trade unions and collective bargaining. Candidates should be enrolled in a related degree program and possess strong skills in social science research and communication in English and German. This position allows for professional development in a collaborative environment, with competitive hourly rates for students.

Leistungen

Access to data and library resources

Opportunity to participate in events

Qualifikationen

• Enrolled as a student in a relevant degree program.
• Familiarity with social science research methods.
• Strong written and verbal communication in English and German.

Aufgaben

• Collecting, organizing, and analyzing relevant press releases.
• Performing automated text analysis.
• Providing assistance on related projects.

Kenntnisse

Political science knowledge

Sociology knowledge

Economics knowledge

Social science research methods

Written and verbal skills in English

Written and verbal skills in German

Knowledge of R

Knowledge of Python

Ausbildung

Bachelor's or Master's degree in political science, sociology, economics or comparable discipline

Jobbeschreibung

Student Assistant (f/m/d)

The Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies (MPIfG) conducts basic research on the governance of modern societies. It aims to develop an empirically based theory of the social and political foundations of modern economies by investigating the interrelation between social, economic, and political action. Building on the disciplinary traditions of sociology and political science, the Institute’s research program aims to combine and develop the approaches of new economic sociology and comparative and international political economy.

We currently have an immediate opportunity for a bachelor’s or master’s student who is enrolled at a university in Germany and interested in working around 8 hours per week as a

Student Assistant for "Trade Unions, Collective Bargaining and Income Stagnation in Europe"

The research project is led by Joshua Cova.

Your role

• Collecting, organizing, and analyzing relevant press releases
• Performing automated text analysis
• Providing assistance on related projects

You will have the opportunity to develop your programming skills in statistical software. You will also gain experience in all stages of designing and writing scientific papers, from formulating a research question and searching and structuring existing literature to running empirical analyses (particularly automated textual and regression analyses) and critically discussing the findings.

Your background and skills

• Student on a degree program in political science, sociology, economics, or a comparable discipline
• Familiarity with social science research methods
• Strong written and verbal language skills in English and German and/or Italian
• Good knowledge of programming languages and/or statistical software (R and/or Python) (preferred but not mandatory)
• Very high level of ability to work independently and with attention to detail

What we offer

You will work onsite at a renowned research institute in an international environment, with access to the MPIfG’s data and library resources and the opportunity to participate in its events. As part of a fixed‑term employment contract (WissZeitVG), we offer remuneration in accordance with the Max Planck Society’s guidelines on support for junior scientists; the current rates are 13.80 euros per hour for bachelor’s students and 14.40 euros per hour for master’s students.

A collaborative and collegial working environment is integral to the MPIfG. Starting from the application process, we are committed to promoting equality of opportunity for all our employees. The compatibility of career and family is one of our key concerns, as is the employment of people with disabilities. To increase the number of women in those areas where they are underrepresented, we strongly encourage women to apply.

How to apply

Please upload your full application documents in German or English (cover letter, CV, copies of diplomas and current proof of enrolment) as a single PDF to our online application portal. We regret that we cannot consider applications by post or email. The closing date for applications is January 13 2026.

About us

Talent, creativity, and passion are qualities the Max Planck Society and the MPIfG rely on. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. We advocate equality of opportunity and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, irrespective of gender, nationality, religion or belief, disability, age, or sexual orientation or identity. In diversity lies the basis for the cutting‑edge research conducted at over 80 Max Planck Institutes.

Contact

Almut Landgraf

Personnel Administration

[phone]

[e-mail]

December 2025 / January 2026

Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies

Paulstr. 3 | 50676 Köln

www.mpifg.de

LinkedIn

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