News
27. March 2026
European Labour Market Barometer holds steady despite war in IranThe leading indicator of the European Network of Public Employment Services and the IAB rose by 0.2 points to 99.8 points compared with the previous month.
13. March 2026
Call for Papers: Imperfect Competition in the Labor MarketThe IAB invites you to its second workshop on imperfect competition in the labor market from 20 July to 21 July 2026. The deadline for submissions is 31 March.
6. March 2026
AI at work: Are women falling behind?Artificial intelligence is changing the world of work right now – and those who use it often have clear advantages in the job.
25. February 2026
European Labour Market Barometer: European labour markets are losing some groundThe European Labour Market Barometer declined slightly for the third consecutive time in February.
19. February 2026
Navigating Motherhood: Endogenous Penalties and Career ChoiceThis IAB-Discussion Paper analyzes the interaction between fertility, child penalties, and career choices.
18. February 2026
Call for Papers: 7th Forum „Higher Education and the Labour Market“ (HELM)The HELM conference combines contributions with a general perspective on ‘Higher Education and the Labour Market’, with contributions on alternating focus topics.
13. February 2026
Video – Flight, family, work: The path into the labour marketA study based on interviews with 3,400 refugees shows that Ukrainian women enter the labour market much faster than other refugee groups.
28. January 2026
European Labour Market Barometer: European labour markets remain subduedThe European Labour Market Barometer dropped slightly in January.
22. January 2026
Video – New data shows: Germany is often just a stopoverWhy do so many plan to leave - and what could make them stay? Researchers at the IAB surveyed over 50,000 people - and the results are eye-opening.
15. January 2026
Minimum wage and job reallocation: The hidden role of financial constraintsThe introduction of Germany’s minimum wage in 2015 triggered large shifts in the composition and allocation of types of employment.
Job satisfaction
Job satisfaction is a major factor for productivity, motivation and employee retention. But job satisfaction goes beyond the immediate advantages for businesses. Wellbeing in the workplace is also an important indicator for the quality of the work itself and has a bearing on the subjective perception of quality of life.
But what is job satisfaction? How is it measured? What factors and processes promote it? What detracts from it? What are the connections between quality of life, career path, work and income? And what role do management style, nature of work and working atmosphere play?
We have compiled a list of IAB publications and projects that help to answer these and other questions you may have about job satisfaction.
Current events
14.4.2026
Furloughs, Employment, and Worker Reallocation in Normal TimesWe discuss about furlough schemes: Are they useful under normal business cycle conditions?
Serie Macroeconomics and Labor Markets with Oskari Vähämaa, University of Helsinki
16.4.2026
Working Hours, Workplace Hazards, and Health: The Long-Term Impact of the Eight-Hour DayThis study is about a nationwide policy trial from Sweden in 1920 that reduced the standard workweek from 55 to 48 hours.
IAB-Colloquium with Prof. Dr. Daniel Kühnle, Universität Duisburg-Essen
23.4.2026
Beyond the Chores: Mental Load, Gender, and CareersThis study investigates the often-overlooked "mental load" of domestic labor and its implications for gender equality and careers.
IAB-Colloquium with Assistant Prof. Gözde Corekcioglu, PhD, Ozyegin University
30.4.2026
Homo ignorans: Deliberate Ignorance and the Limits of CuriosityThis talk will ask: When is not knowing reasonable, and when is it reckless?
Special Lecture Series with Prof. Dr. rer. soc. Ralph Hertwig, Director of the Research Center for Adaptive Rationality, Max Planck Institute
7.5.2026
The Effect of Worker Health Shocks on Coworkers’ Employment and Health BehaviorThis study analyzes how a worker’s severe health shock affects older coworkers.
IAB-Colloquium with Associate Prof. Wolfgang Frimmel, PhD, Johannes Kepler Universität Linz
13.5.2026
The OECD Economic Survey of Germany 2025After a decade of strong export-led growth COVID-19, war in Ukraine and rising trade tensions have hit the German economy and emphasised the need to accelerate structural reforms.
IAB-Colloquium with Robert Grundke, PhD and Enes Sunel, PhD, both Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
21.5.2026
Vacancy Visibility and Application BehaviorThis study is about the determinants and consequences of vacancy visibility.
IAB-Colloquium with Prof. Dr. Steffen Altmann, University of Würzburg
18.6.2026
Technological Rivalry and the Allocation of Talent: Evidence from China’s College AdmissionThis paper studies how the U.S-China technology rivalry reshapes college admissions using data from China.
IAB-Colloquium with Prof. Lei Li, PhD, Georg-August-University Göttingen
23.6.2026 - 24.6.2026
7th Forum „Higher Education and the Labour Market“ (HELM)This year’s focus topic is ‘Intended and Unintended Consequences of Higher Education’.
Call for Papers
20.7.2026 - 21.7.2026
2nd Workshop on Imperfect Competition in the Labor MarketStudies addressing topics from a theoretical and/or empirical perspective for presentation at the workshop.
Call for Papers; IAB - LASER
