Postdoc: Labour Migration & Institutional Change

University of Copenhagen; Denmark; On-site; DKK 405,000 - 485,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Copenhagen invites applications for two fixed-term postdoctoral researcher positions in the Employment Relations Research Centre (FAOS) within the Department of Sociology. The project investigates how migrant labour affects labour market institutions across three sectors and two countries, with a focus on comparative case studies and process tracing.

Starting 1 March 2027, each position includes a 1.5 month country stay and a 10% teaching obligation.

Qualifications

• PhD in Sociology or related field (completed or near completion).
• Expertise in qualitative research methods, incl. comparative case studies, qualitative interviews and process tracing.
• Knowledge of political economy, labour market institutions or labour migration.
• Fluency in English; proficiency in German/Dutch/Swedish; Danish desirable but not required.
• Experience with or willingness to collaborate in academic settings.

Responsibilities

• Conduct comparative case studies of migrant labor use across three sectors in two countries.
• Use process-tracing to analyze links between migrant inflow and deviant business practices.
• Conduct and analyze interviews with company reps, unions, inspectors and experts.
• Gather and analyze statistics, archival data, media sources and policy documents.
• Compare cross-national and cross-sector variations in divergent business strategies.
• Write academic articles for top sociology and political science journals.
• Present findings at international conferences (SASE, CES, EPSA, ESA).
• Benefit from a 1.5 month research stay in each case country; 10% teaching duty.

Skills

Fluent English

German or Dutch or Swedish

Collaboration

Education

PhD in Sociology/Political Science/Comparative Political Economy/Industrial Relations or related

Tools

Qualitative research methods

Job description

University of Copenhagen invites applications for two fixed-term postdoctoral researcher positions in the Employment Relations Research Centre (FAOS) within the Department of Sociology. The project investigates how migrant labour affects labour market institutions across three sectors and two countries, with a focus on comparative case studies and process tracing.

Starting 1 March 2027, each position includes a 1.5 month country stay and a 10% teaching obligation.