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Research

Fact of the day

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.

Equity, Inclusion & Opportunity
Equity, Inclusion & Opportunity
Migration & Global Collaboration
Migration & Global Collaboration
Technology, Trade & Human Capital
Technology, Trade & Human Capital

Discussion papers

No. 201/26 - July 2026

The Dynamics of Educational Attainment, Overeducation, and Wages

Lorenzo Navarini, Dieter Verhaest

No. 200/26 - July 2026

Illbeing Among the Young in Europe: Evidence from the COME HERE Panel

David G. Blanchflower, Alex Bryson, Anthony Lepinteur, Alan Piper

No. 199/26 - July 2026

AI adoption by human experts: Evidence from primary care physicians

Shan Huang, Renke Schmacker, Hannes Ullrich

No. 198/26 - July 2026

Life After Divorce: Effects of Joint Custody on Parents and Children

Stella Canessa, Gordon Dahl, Anna Hasselqvist, Costas Meghir, Susan Niknami, Mårten Palme, Helmut Rainer, Olof Rosenqvist, Pengpeng Xiao

Research Insights

Concise, research-based articles for scholars,
policymakers, and anyone curious about the world.

No. 27/26 - July 2026

The Renegotiation Gap: Why Outside Job Opportunities Widen the Gender Wage Gap

Women earn less than men even when they hold the same job in the same workplace. In Sweden – one of the most gender-equal countries in the world – women in the private sector earn 8% less per hour than male colleagues in the same workplace and occupation. This gap grows the longer they stay in the job: it widens by 2 percentage points over five years. What drives this pattern?

Learn more

No. 26/26 - July 2026

Seasonal Allergies and Accidents

Hay fever, or seasonal allergies, affects more than 400 million people worldwide. During pollen season, sufferers face sneezing, itchy eyes, and daytime sleepiness. Most consider it a minor nuisance. Could these effects be causing real accidents—and serious economic losses?

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No. 25/26 - July 2026

Who Is Left Out? Collective Bargaining and Low-Wage Workers in Germany

Germany’s collective bargaining system has long been a cornerstone of fair wages and stable labor relations. But its reach has weakened—and not evenly. Our study shows that while collective agreements still shape wages for many workers, coverage has declined over time and is particularly low among low-wage workers.

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CReAM 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.

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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.

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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 report

News

RFBerlin research and researchers are regularly featured in the press.

Press

24 Jul 2026

CReAM Report on the Employment of Immigrants in International Media
View article
Press release

24 Jul 2026

Immigrant Employment Rate in the EU at a Record High 
View article
CReAM at RFBerlin

23 Jul 2026

Employment of Immigrants in the European Union: Progress, Persistent Gaps, and Untapped Potential
Read report
Press

21 Jul 2026

Research Insight on The Renegotiation Gap featured in Worldwide Media
View article

Tweets by @RF_Berlin

🎉 This Friday marks the 100th RFBerlin Brown Bag Seminar!

This time, we’re delighted to welcome David Berger (@DukeEcon) for a talk on 𝘈 𝘋𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘍𝘪𝘹 𝘰𝘧 𝘜.𝘚. 𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘤𝘬-𝘪𝘯?

100 seminars, countless ideas, and many lively lunchtime discussions;

📰 Our latest CReAM@RFBerlin report on immigrant employment in the EU has been featured by international media including @Reuters, @tagesschau, @FR, @Internazionale, @EconomicTimes and more.

Read the report by Christian Dustmann, Tommaso Frattini & Camilla Piovesan:
➡️

Employment is at its highest level since 2017, but Europe is still leaving talent untapped.

Better recognition of foreign qualifications, improved job matching, and stronger support for non-EU immigrant women could help unlock underused talent and ease labour shortages across

🗞️ The weekly release of our Discussion Paper Series!
You can find them here: https://www.rfberlin.com/discussion-papers/

Upcoming events

RFBerlin hosts a wide array of events aimed at fostering academic research and collaboration.

Brown Bag Seminar

24 July 2026

David Berger (Duke University)

A Danish Fix of U.S. Mortgage Lock-in?

RFBerlin Event

27 Aug – 30 Aug 2026

RFBerlin Nizza Monferrato Workshop 2026

RFBerlin Co-hosted

7 Sep – 8 Sep 2026

Structural Labor Workshop

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.

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