We conduct independent research into significant challenges to the economy, society and the welfare state in a global world.
Become part of our research team
Research
The ROCKWOOL Foundation Berlin Institute for the Economy and the Future of Work (RFBerlin) engages in research designed to raise the standard of public debate and create the best possible basis for policy making.
Discussion papers
No. 221/26 - August 2026
Unexpected Work Incentives: How Cash Transfers Raise Refugee Men’s Labor Supply
Aysun Hızıroğlu Aygün, Murat Güray Kırdar, Murat Koyuncu, Quentin Stoeffler
No. 220/26 - August 2026
Prenatal Conditions and Midlife Mental Health: Evidence from an Alcohol Policy Experiment
Peter Nilsson, Evelina Linnros
No. 219/26 - August 2026
Business Cycles and School-to-Work Transitions for Vocational Students: The Role of General Skills and Educational Opportunities
Kari Vea Salvanes, Asgeir Skålholt
No. 218/26 - August 2026
Europe, We Have a Problem! Local Economic Winners and Losers of Border Closures
Ketevani Kapanadze, Mariola Pytlikova
Research Insights
Concise, research-based articles for scholars,
policymakers, and anyone curious about the world.

No. 31/26 - August 2026
Why Firms Hesitate to Hire Occupation Switchers
When workers change occupations, what makes firms willing to hire them? Most research on occupational mobility looks at it from the perspective of workers: who switches occupations and why. Less is known about how firms evaluate candidates from other occupations.
Learn more
No. 30/26 - August 2026
The Rules of the Game: How Wage Bargaining Rules Shape the Gender Pay Gap
The gender pay gap is often attributed to broad differences in education, experience, or career choices. However, even when men and women hold the same positions within the same firm, a pay gap often persists. Our recent study identifies a critical, yet often overlooked driver of this inequality: the specific rules governing wage bargaining.
Learn more
No. 29/26 - August 2026
Why Class Background Matters for Professional Success
Organizations and researchers have rightly examined the roles of gender and race in career disparities within elite occupations. But there is a glaring omission: class. Why? There is a common assumption that once someone attends an elite college or receives an elite job, the effects of class are effectively “washed out” and cease to matter. We challenge this assumption in our recent paper.
Learn moreCReAM Reports
Data-driven reports on migration and related economic and social trends, highlighting the latest developments across Europe and beyond.

No. 6/26 - July 2026
Employment of Immigrants in the European Union: Progress, Persistent Gaps, and Untapped Potential
Employment among immigrants in the European Union has reached its highest level since 2017, yet important differences remain across origin groups, countries and demographic characteristics. While EU immigrants frequently match or exceed native employment rates across Member States, substantial employment disadvantages remain concentrated among non-EU immigrant women and highly educated non-EU immigrants, pointing to significant untapped labour market potential.
View report
No. 5/26 - June 2026
The Refugee Population in Europe in 2025: A Decade of Growth Comes to a Halt
The rapid growth of Europe's refugee population has come to an end. Drawing on new UNHCR data, this report shows how falling asylum inflows, the naturalisation of earlier refugee cohorts in Germany, and a reform of temporary protection in Italy are reshaping refugee numbers.
View report
No. 4/26 - May 2026
Immigrant Educational Attainment in the European Union: Origin, Gender and Cross-Country Differences
This report examines educational attainment among natives, EU-born immigrants, and non-EU-born immigrants across the European Union, highlighting how differences by origin, gender, and country continue to shape educational outcomes despite a general rise in tertiary attainment since 2017.
View reportNews
RFBerlin research and researchers are regularly featured in the press.

20 Aug 2026 • RFBerlin Podcast: Working Papers
Who actually helps you find a job? What German reunification reveals about how we really find work, and the one connection that makes the difference.
Listen now
13 Aug 2026 • RFBerlin Podcast: Working Papers
Moving away? How people decide to migrate, and whether any policy can change it.
Listen now
12 Aug 2026
Introducing Working Papers: a new podcast season from RFBerlin
Learn more
26 Jul 2026 • Radio France Internationale
Tommaso Frattini speaks on record immigrant employment in the EU
View articleTweets by @RF_Berlin
There's a better job in another city. Higher pay, and you're qualified for it. Do you move?
Most people don't. Even when everything says they should.
Alexandra Spitz-Oener and Jan Nimczik use German reunification data to show it comes down to one very specific kind of connection.
Upcoming events
RFBerlin hosts a wide array of events aimed at fostering academic research and collaboration.
RFBerlin Masterclass
24 Sep – 25 Sep 2026
“People, Practices, and Productivity: A Review of New Advances in Personnel Economics”
Taught by Christopher Stanton and Guido Friebel
Handbook of Labor Economics – Chapter Previews
In anticipation of the upcoming Handbook of Labor Economics, we offer early access to select chapters through our Discussion Papers series. Following our 2023 conference on this new edition, first chapters are now available for preview, featuring insights from leading research in economics and labor.

Sign up to our newsletter
Keep up to date with upcoming RFBerlin events, our new research and other news from our research centre.


