Postdoctoral Researcher in Labour Immigration and Institutional Change

About the role

The Employment Relations Research Centre (FAOS) at the Department of Sociology, University of Copenhagen, seeks two postdoctoral researchers for a 2½‑year fixed‑term project on labour migration and institutional change. The role involves comparative case‑studies across sectors and countries, contributing to a five‑country analysis.

Key responsibilities

• Conduct comparative case studies of migrant labour use in manufacturing, construction and hospitality across two selected countries.
• Apply process‑tracing methodologies to examine links between deviant business strategies and migrant labour inflows.
• Design and carry out interviews with company representatives, trade unions, labour inspectors and other experts.
• Collect and analyse supplementary data such as statistics, archival records, media sources, policy documents and prior studies.
• Compare cross‑national and cross‑sectorial variations and draft academic articles based on findings.

Required profile

• PhD in Sociology, Political Science, Economics or a closely related discipline.
• Experience with comparative, cross‑national research projects.
• Strong analytical and written communication skills in English.
• Ability to work independently and as part of an interdisciplinary research team.

Required skills

• Process‑tracing methodology
• Qualitative interview techniques
• Statistical and archival data analysis

What we offer

• Fixed‑term contract (2½ years) funded by the Independent Research Fund Denmark.
• Opportunity to publish in high‑impact academic journals.
• Access to university resources and a collaborative research environment.