General Information
Type of contract
PhD traineeship
Who can apply?
EU nationals eligible for our traineeship programme
Grant
The trainee grant is €2,120 per month plus an accommodation allowance (see further information section)
Working time
Full time
Place of work
Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Closing date
08.03.2023
Your team
You will be a part of the Supply Side, Labour and Surveillance Division in the Directorate General Economics. We are a team of around 30 experts responsible for the analysis of the euro area labour market, long-term drivers of economic growth, including productivity, and cross-country analysis of macroeconomic vulnerabilities. We also look at economic issues relating to EU governance, with a focus on Next Generation EU and the deepening of Economic and Monetary Union. Our most recent work has focused on the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) on the labour market and its possible scarring effects, the role of structural changes (such as digitalisation, demographics and climate change) in the euro area economy and the impact of government policies to support the economy, including potential side-effects. Our analytical agenda includes the analysis of labour market heterogeneity and its impact on monetary policy, the use of high-frequency labour market data and the analysis of firm and sectoral heterogeneity with regard to productivity and digitalisation – all with a view to drawing policy conclusions that are relevant to the macro economy.
In your role as a PhD trainee, you will contribute to empirical work in the realms of labour markets, firm productivity, climate change, long-term drivers of economic growth, and macroeconomic risks and vulnerabilities in the euro area.
The ECB is an inclusive employer, and we strive to reflect the diversity of the population we serve. We encourage you to apply irrespective of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, race, religious beliefs, sexual orientation or other characteristics.
Your role
As a trainee you will:
- support the analytical agenda on key policy questions of the Division;
- conduct empirical analyses using state-of-the-art economic and econometric models;
- contribute to the enhancement of analytical, econometric and forecasting tools under the supervision of ECB experts;
- have the opportunity to submit the resulting papers for publication in the ECB’s Working Paper Series and academic journals.
We are looking for several PhD trainees, who will each work on one of the following projects:
A. The analysis of panel data using local projections and quantile regression methods to measure growth-at-risk from a long-term perspective
B. The analysis of the impact of extreme weather events on euro area potential output using regional and firm-level (e.g. ORBIS) data
C. A structural estimation of the non-accelerating inflation rate of unemployment (NAIRU) and its drivers by means of time series methods (including Kalman filtering techniques)
D. The cyclicality of the labour force using local projection methods across labour market characteristics such as age, occupation, gender, etc.
Trainees will be expected to complete their tasks using their own initiative and to work largely autonomously under the supervision of an expert. Successful candidates will have access to the ECB’s library, as well as to computing and statistical resources. They will also have access to most ECB-organised conferences and internal seminars.
The position offers you excellent opportunities to build on your skills by working on state-of-the-art modelling and econometric techniques as well as to contribute to policy work of the highest relevance for the economic assessments of the Division. You will be part of a multicultural team that strives for continuous innovation to make a positive impact on the lives of European citizens.
Qualifications, experience and skills
Essential:
- a master’s degree and at least two years of PhD studies in the field of economics, finance, statistics, data science or a related field;
- a sound understanding of and theoretical background in macroeconomics and the economic and institutional context in which the ECB fulfils its mandate;
- excellent knowledge of and a track record in state-of-the-art modelling tools and econometric techniques or data analytics;
- programming skills in one or more of the following software packages: MATLAB, Stata, Python, R or Julia;
- a good knowledge of the MS Office package;
- an advanced (C1) command of English and an intermediate (B1) command of at least one other official language of the EU, according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
Desired:
- experience in handling microdata and microeconometric models and methods;
- experience in working with macrodata and macroeconometric methods and models.
You are curious and eager to learn and want to further develop your ability to analyse complex information. You are keen to collaborate with others, pursue team goals and learn from other people’s diverse perspectives. You strive to know and anticipate stakeholder needs, and will signal any need for change and propose alternative solutions.
You are motivated to contribute to the ECB’s mission, to serve the citizens of the EU as a member of a public institution and to work with colleagues from all over Europe. You are keen to be part of our team and to use your skills and competencies to achieve the aims of this position.
Further information
PhD traineeship of between 3 and 12 months in total.
For additional information on this specific vacancy, you can speak to Agostino Consolo on +49 (0)69 1344 5224 between 12:30 and 14:30 on Tuesday, 7 February or Wednesday, 8 February.
Application and selection process
Further information on
how to apply is available on our website.
The recruitment process for this position will consist of an online interview.
If you are not selected for this position but are still considered suitable, you will be placed on a reserve list for 12 months from the closing date for applications, from which you might be considered for other positions within the ECB.
