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The Institute of Employment Research (IAB), the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), and the Labour and Socio-Economic Research Center (LASER) are pleased to announce a workshop on machine learning in economics. Empirical research in economics typically focuses on the unbiased estimation of causal effects. In contrast, statistics and computer science place more value on prediction (especially out-of-sample) and data-driven selection of models and variables. So far, only few studies apply these methods in empirical economic research, but their importance is growing. This holds in particular with the increasing availability of big data for economic research. The two-day workshop seeks to bring together researchers who apply machine learning methods in the following fields: Labor economics, economics of education and health economics.

Aims and Topics

During Germany’s EU Council Presidency in 2020, the Institute for Employment Research (IAB) will host an interdisciplinary labour market conference. This conference will focus on labour market transitions and on the evaluation of policies that governments implement to smooth such transitions.

Collection of abstracts (Abstracts der Vorträge)

Programme highlights

The conference features keynotes by Jutta Allmendinger, President of the WZB Berlin Social Science Center and Professor of Educational Sociology and Labour Market Research at the Humboldt University Berlin, and Christian Dustmann, Professor of Economics at the University College London and Director of CReAM – Centre for Research and Analysis of Migration. Two other keynotes will be presented by Dennis Radtke, Member of the European Parliament, and Prof László Andor (PhD) of Corvinus University of Budapest and former EU Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion. The conference also includes a political key note and a panel discussion with Dr Nicola Brandt, Head of OECD Berlin Centre, Christian Dustmann und Bernd Fitzenberger, Director of IAB and Professor of Econometrics at the Humboldt University Berlin about “Vocational Training and labor market transitions: The future model for Europe?”