Academic research in labor markets analyzes a diverse variety of questions and subjects. Historically, the central research topics have included:
- Job mobility and human capital accumulation
- Employment and wage consequences of government regulations, such as the minimum wage
- Compensating wage differentials job search
- Government program evaluation (especially unemployment insurance and workers' compensation)
Current and recent faculty and PhD student research topics include:
- Economic consequences of job displacement
- Career decisions of youths
- Incentive effects of unemployment
- Insurance impact of welfare on labor supply
- Effects of NAFTA on employment and trade
