Project description
More than a pay cheque: building meaningful career progression
Despite low unemployment, many advanced economies struggle with economic inequality and a scarcity of ‘good jobs’, leaving workers trapped in low-wage positions. The ERC-funded GoodJobsEconomics project aims to identify drivers of meaningful job creation by examining part-time work, minimum wage policies and EU labour mobility, with a focus on Hungarian workers migrating to Austria. By analysing newly collected survey data and administrative records, the project will investigate how these factors influence wage progression and skill development for those who assimilate or return home. Ultimately, the project will evaluate government interventions to ensure they effectively foster long-term career advancement and economic opportunity.
Objective
Many advanced economies report low unemployment and tight labour markets yet continue to grapple with economic inequality and a scarcity of good jobs. A sizable share of workers remains stuck in low-paying positions with limited chances for career advancement. This research program examines multiple dimensions of good job creation, from the implications of part-time work to the influence of labour market institutions such as the minimum wage. It analyses whether workers fully account for the long-term consequences of part-time employment and discusses when governments should encourage or discourage these arrangements—especially given their potential to alleviate gender disparities in access to higher-paying positions. The program also explores the role of the European Union’s free movement of labour in expanding good job opportunities for Eastern European immigrants. Specifically, it investigates how Hungarian workers fare after migrating to Austria, focusing on wage progression and skill development—both for those who assimilate and those who eventually return to Hungary. Another central component explores the role of a prominent labour market policy, the minimum wages, in fostering good job creation. While higher minimum wages can boost pay, they may also restrict career growth and flatten wage trajectories for low-wage workers. By weighing these benefits and drawbacks, the research will gauge the overall contribution of the policy to good job creation. To achieve these objectives, the program draws on newly gathered survey data and previously untapped administrative sources, leveraging significant policy variations and cutting-edge empirical approaches. Ultimately, it aims to untangle the forces behind good job creation—those that offer meaningful career progression and rising wages—and to evaluate the effectiveness of government interventions in addressing these persistent challenges.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- social sciences economics and business business and management employment
- social sciences sociology social issues unemployment
- social sciences sociology demography human migrations
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2025-COG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
WC1E 6BT London
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.