Postdoctoral Researcher Position in Labour Immigration and Institutional Change

Københavns Universitet; København; On-site; DKK 471,000 - 538,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Copenhagen invites applications for a postdoctoral researcher position in Employment Relations Research Centre (FAOS). The role focuses on how migrant labour and deviant business practices influence institutional change within European labour markets.

The successful candidate will lead qualitative, cross-country case studies and publish in top sociology and political science journals. Expect a 1½ month research stay per case country, with a 10% teaching obligation and

Qualifications

• PhD in Sociology, Political Science, Comparative Political Economy, Industrial Relations or a related field (completed or near completion).
• Expertise in qualitative research methods, particularly comparative case study analysis, qualitative interviews and process-tracing.
• Knowledge of political economy, labour market institutions or labour migration.
• Fluency in English and either German and Dutch or Swedish; Danish desirable but not required.

Responsibilities

• Conduct comparative case studies of migrant labor across sectors and countries.
• Utilize process-tracing methodologies to examine relationships between migrant inflows and deviant business practices.
• Conduct and analyze interviews with company representatives, trade unions, labour inspectors and other authorities.
• Gather supplementary data (statistics, archival data, media sources, policy documents) to reconstruct historical development.

Skills

Qualitative research

Comparative case studies

Qualitative interviews

Process-tracing

Political economy knowledge

Education

PhD in Sociology or related field

Job description

Job Description

In many Western European countries, labour migrants’ share of employment has expanded substantially the last decades reaching beyond 25 percent in some countries. However, our current understanding of how labour market institutions change ignores labour migration. Therefore, we know little about the long‑term impact of labour migration on receiving countries’ labour market institutions.

To address this issue, this project proposes and tests a new theory of how labour migration causes institutional change: Companies pursuing deviant business strategies can use labour migrants to overcome institutional obstacles and the proliferation of such deviant business strategies can cause incremental institutional change. The cumulative effects of those changes have transformative potential for how labour markets are governed.

To test and develop this theory, the postdoctoral researcher will conduct sector case studies in different countries focusing both on the link between deviant business strategies and the use of migrant labour, and on the cumulative effects of labour migration over time in different sectors and countries.

Key Tasks:

• Conduct comparative case studies of the use of migrant labor in three sectors across two countries.
• Utilize process‑tracing methodologies to analyze to what extent inflow of migrant labour and proliferation of deviant business practices are related.
• Conduct and analyze interviews with company representatives, trade unions, labour inspectors and other authorities, and experts.
• Gather and analyze supplementary data such as statistics, archival data, media sources, policy documents, and studies to reconstruct historical development.
• Compare cross‑national and cross‑sectorial variations in how divergent business strategies and labour migration co‑develop.
• Write academic articles based on findings for submission to top sociology and political science journals.
• Present findings at international conferences (e.g., SASE, CES, EPSA, ESA).

The project includes 1½ month research stay in each case country, hosted by members of the project’s advisory board.

The postdoctoral researcher position is mainly a research position, but there is a 10 % teaching obligation.

For further information, including more details on project, please contact Associate Professor Jens Arnholtz ([e-mail]).

Qualifications

Appointment as a postdoctoral researcher requires research qualifications at a level at least equivalent to those obtained through the satisfactory completion of a PhD programme within the relevant field.

We seek candidates with the following qualifications:

• A PhD in Sociology, Political Science, Comparative Political Economy, Industrial Relations or a related field (completed or near completion).
• Expertise in qualitative research methods, particularly comparative case study analysis, qualitative interviews and process‑tracing.
• Knowledge of political economy, labour market institutions or labour migration.
• Fluency in English and either German and Dutch or Swedish is required; proficiency in Danish is desirable but not a requirement.
• Experience with or willingness to engage in academic collaboration.

Strategy of the Faculty of the Social Sciences

Employment Relations Research Centre (FAOS) is part of the Faculty of the Social Sciences. The faculty is a successful academic community that strives to put knowledge into action by:

• Engaging partners in the co‑creation of knowledge, learning and social change.
• Empowering our students to become reflective and responsible citizens who have the vision, the knowledge and the competences to change society for the better.
• Energising global, European and Danish communities of knowledge by innovating research methodologies and by research findings with impact.

For more on the faculty’s strategy, please see: Strategy for the Faculty of Social Science.

Work Environment & Research Team

The postdoctoral researcher will work closely with Associate Professor Jens Arnholtz, another postdoc and an international advisory board. The postdoctoral researcher will become a part of the Employment Relations Research Centre (FAOS), which has a strong focus on labour market institutions, and the Department of Sociology, which provides a dynamic research environment, offering access to state‑of‑the‑art research infrastructure.

The project will provide opportunities for collaboration on high‑impact publications, networking with experts in labour migration and labour markets, and participation in international research events.

Salary and Terms of Employment

Terms of appointment and salary will be in accordance with an agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC). The salary range for postdoctoral positions starts at DKK 39,900/approximately EUR 5,300 + an 18.07 % pension contribution. It is possible to negotiate salary supplements on an annual basis.

Application Deadline

The application deadline is 30 October 2026 at 23:59 [CEST].

An Equal Opportunity Workplace

The University of Copenhagen is committed in its pursuit of academic excellence to equality of opportunity and to creating an inclusive working environment and therefore encourages all qualified candidates to apply, regardsless of personal background, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, ethnicity etc. To learn more about our diverse workplace and our participation in the HRS4R HR Excellence in Research, please visit HR Excellence in Research.

Contact Information

For further information about the position, please contact Associate Professor Jens Arnholtz at [e-mail].

For more Information about the recruitment process, please contact HR South at [e-mail]. Please refer to ID number: 211-2642/26-2I #2.

Info

Ansøgningsfrist: 30-10-2026

Ansættelsesdato: 01-03-2027

Afdeling/Sted: Department of Sociology