PhD scholarship

KU Leuven is advertising a PhD researcher in labour market forecasting at the Faculty of Economics and Business, within Steunpunt Werk, a labour market policy research unit. The project is based in Flanders, Belgium and focuses on how skills supply and demand evolve over time, including school-leavers and graduate labour market entry, skills mismatch, and the effects of digital transformation, the green transition, and demographic and structural change.

The successful candidate will work on quantitative forecasting models and analyse education and labour market data from Flanders. The role includes studying occupations, sectors, skills classification and measurement, and translating findings into policy recommendations and forecasting tools used by government and stakeholders. Expected methods include econometric and statistical analysis, quantitative modelling, and advanced use of statistical software, with a labour economics / education economics orientation.

Eligibility highlights: an advanced research Master’s in (applied) Economics is mandatory. Strong academic performance is preferred, ideally cum laude or equivalent. Applicants should have strong skills in econometrics, statistics, quantitative data analysis, and statistical software, plus excellent English; Dutch is a plus. Strong scientific writing skills and the ability to work independently and collaboratively are also expected.

Funding: fully funded 4-year full-time PhD scholarship, with health insurance and mobility benefits under the Belgian system. Academic training and career development are included, and teaching/seminar involvement may be possible.

Application materials: CV, academic transcripts and diplomas, a motivation letter (max 500 words), and a short research proposal (max 500 words) including three topics.

Deadline: 10 June 2026.

Supervisors: Prof. Sarah Vansteenkiste and Prof. Kristof De Witte.