Prof. Anna Matysiak from the UW Faculty of Economic Sciences was awarded an ERC Consolidator Grant 2019. Her project LABFER is the first project which will comprehensively study fertility decisions in the changing world of work.
Prof. Anna Matysiak is an Assistant Professor working in the Chair of Population Economics and Demography at the Faculty of Economic Sciences. The UW scientist is an expert in demography, including research on family formation and labour market.
The project “Globalization- and Technology-Driven Labour Market Change and Fertility” (LABFER) will be the first one which will comprehensively describe and evaluate the consequences of dramatic labour market transformations on fertility.
“Technological change and globalisation have led to unprecedented transformations in the way we live and work. New jobs and earnings opportunities are emerging and we are now more flexible in how, where and when we work,” says Prof. Anna Matysiak. She adds: “On the other hand, however, the demands on workers increased with the intensification of the global competition and the availability of smartphones and internet makes it more and more difficult to disconnect from work. Our jobs are also increasingly taken over by robots or moved to countries with lower labour costs.”
Prof. Matysiak’s team will focus on contemporary post-industrial societies (defined as OECD countries), paying special attention to the most advanced European economies over the last two decades.
The UW scientist will carry out research in collaboration with various research institutions, e.g. the University of Oslo, University of Stockholm, University of Helsinki, University of Florence, Vienna Institute of Demography Austrian Academy of Sciences, and Hertie School of Governance in Berlin.
The Consolidator Grants are awarded by the European Research Council to outstanding researchers with a scientific track record showing great promise. The funding is provided for up to five years and mostly covers the employment of researchers and other staff to consolidate the grantees’ teams and have a far-reaching impact.
In December last year, ERC announced the winners of its latest Consolidator Grant competition. Over 300 top scientists and scholars across Europe received grants, among them was Prof. Anna Matysiak. In the beginning, the ERC Consolidator Grant was awarded to the Austrian Academy of Sciences (AAS) (host institution which was the legal entity), however, Prof. Anna Matysiak decided to realise the grant at the University of Warsaw, where she had begun work in September.
The ERC Executive Agency (ERCEA) accepted the change of host institution, and currently, a grant agreement is being prepared.