Postdoctoral researcher in quantitative labor market research 60 - 80 %
Start of employment per October 1, 2025 or earlier, if possible (or by arrangement)The Department of Sociology at the University of Zurich, established in 1966, is one of the leading institutes in Europe known for its excellent theory-driven empirical research with a strong focus on quantitative methods.
The Swiss Job Market Monitor (SJMM) collects a world-wide unique, comparable, and representative database of job advertisements from 1950 onwards. For this purpose, the SJMM team, composed of social scientists, data scientists, computational linguists, has developed a state-of-the-art data and survey infrastructure based on fully automated web scraping methods and specially designed NLP models for information extraction. The potential of big data can thus be optimally exploited for social science research questions.
This unique dataset opens up new and innovative perspectives in labor market research related to social inequality, promising to fill several important research gaps. The planned substantial expansion of the database raises intriguing questions about adaptations of the sampling and weighting design.
The SJMM team is part of the Department of Sociology at the University of Zurich and is headed by Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. Marlis Buchmann and Prof. Dr. Katja Rost.
Your responsibilities
- Conduct research with SJMM data on changes in the labor market related to skill demand, shifts in work tasks, employment practices, gender biases, etc.
- Publish research in peer-reviewed journals, present research at international conferences
- Implement adaptations to the complex sampling and weighting design of the SJMM data infrastructure (in collaboration with external experts)
- Engage in tasks related to the maintenance and adaptation of the job ad monitoring
Your profile
- PhD in sociology or economics
- Proven quantitative research experience and track record in the field of social inequalities in the labor market, occupations, recruitment topics, etc.
- Strong background in quantitative methods and excellent knowledge of R and/or Stata, and preferably Python
- Excellent statistical knowledge
- Genuine interest in and flair for sampling and weighting method/design questions
- Excellent teamwork and communication skills
- Fluency in English and preferably also in German
Information on your application
We evaluate applications on a rolling basis until the position is filled.Please send your application as a single pdf-file, including CV and motivation letter, via the UZH job portal.
What we offer
- Flexible working models (such as part-time positions, mobile working, job-sharing)
- Childcare at the kihz foundation of UZH and ETH
- Wide range of continuing education courses of UZH and the Canton of Zurich
- Language Center run jointly with ETH Zurich
- Food and drinks at reduced prices in the UZH cafeterias
- Lunch-Check-card with UZH contribution
- Special conditions on the Academic Sports Association ASVZ
- Free seasonal flu vaccinations
- Rest and relaxation at the quiet room in the university tower
- Private traffic: Carsharing, rent a vehicle, parking space
- Digitalization: Hardware, software, mobile phone subscriptions
- Special conditions on hotel reservations
- Policies of the UZH
- Most UZH staff are employed according to public law
- Support for people from outside Switzerland
- Campuses Zurich City, Zurich Irchel, Oerlikon and Schlieren
- Sites Zurich West, Old Botanical Garden, Botanical Garden and Lengg
