Postdoc Integration Activities Improving Refugees’ Position in the Labor Market

The Department of Public Administration and Sociology is currently recruiting for a postdoctoral position as part of the NWO-funded project ‘Integration Activities for Improving Refugees’ Position in the Labor Market’, led by Dr. Agnieszka Kanas.

What are you going to do?
Are you a social scientist seeking an exciting opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge research? We are currently seeking a postdoctoral researcher to join our research team for a project funded by NWO. Our aim is to address labor market difficulties faced by refugees and gain insights into two key questions: How do employers respond to refugees’ participation in integration activities? And how do public service caseworkers influence refugees’ access to integration programs? By examining different types of employers and refugee workers and placing emphasis on the discretion of caseworkers in allocation decisions, our research will provide a comprehensive understanding of which integration interventions are effective, for whom, and why.

The postdoctoral researcher will be involved in the research subproject focusing on public sector caseworkers in the Netherlands. Integration programs are designed to mitigate labor market inequalities and assist those most in need. However, the realization of these goals is contingent on selectivity into integration programs. Evidence suggests that assignment to integration programs is based on effectiveness rather than inclusiveness principles. Those with the highest potential to re-enter the labor market are often assigned to programs with the highest efficacy, while those most in need of integration measures, such as long-term unemployed individuals or immigrants, are allocated to less efficacious activities. In this subproject, we propose factorial survey experiments to investigate whether caseworkers make different allocation decisions based on the client’s refugee status and additional characteristics. The survey experiments will address questions about whether refugees are less likely to be allocated to integration programs than other groups of immigrants and whether the allocation decision further varies by geographic origin, educational attainment, and gender.

We are seeking a highly motivated candidate with a strong background in advanced statistical methods and experience in or eagerness to develop expertise in factorial survey experiments. The postdoctoral researcher will have the opportunity to shape and adapt elements of the research project and will join a dynamic team where s(he) will receive the necessary support and resources to make significant contributions to the field. The project grant provides a budget to cover publication fees, conference fees, and to cover the costs of travel to international conferences and workshops.

Tasks and Responsibilities:

• Executing factorial survey experiments among case workers in the Netherlands;
• Conducting innovative research leading to academic publications;
• Participating in other activities of the project, such as organizing a workshop, contributing to public debate, and managing outreach activities of the project;
• Contributing to the teaching activities of the department ;
• Collaborating with other researchers within the Policy, Politics and Society (PPS) team and the Department of Public Administration and Sociology (DPAS).
• Completed PhD in Sociology, Public Administration, Social Policy, Political Science, Psychology, or other related disciplines;
• Strong academic record;
• Strong and explicit interest and motivation for scientific research;
• Excellent command of English;
• Expertise in quantitative research, including advanced statistics;
• Candidates are selected on the basis of their CVs, motivation, academic references, and interview(s) with potential supervisors.

We offer you an internationally oriented and varied job in an enthusiastic team, with excellent working conditions in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU).

The start date of this position is 1 September 2024 and you will be based at Campus Woudestein in Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences (ESSB). This position is for 1.0 fte. The salary is dependent on your experience and knowledge and ranges from a minimum of € 4.332 to a maximum of € 5.929 gross per month scale 11 on a fulltime basis (38 hours), in accordance with the CAO-NU. The contract is for two years.

Everything else we offer you, you can find below!

• Everything you need for a good work-life balance: the option to work from home in consultation with your manager, 41 days of paid leave with a 40 hour contract, 8% holiday pay and an 8.3% end-of-year bonus, and a significant discount on a subscription for our on-campus sports centre!
• Sustainable, inclusive and diverse work environment with an open culture, where you can be yourself and we pay attention to each other and to the world around us. Make the most of our bicycle budget, or join networks such as Young@EUR, FAME or QuEUR.
• Time and space for your development in the broadest sense: development days and a personal career budget, foreign exchange opportunities with most costs paid by EUR, and free access to our university library.
• Good pension with ABP that EUR contributes 2/3rds towards, discounts on various collective insurances with Zilveren Kruis Achmea, Loyalis, and Allianz, and compensation for travel, working from home and home internet use.
• Are you currently combining your job with parenthood, or do you want to do so in the future? EUR offers partially paid parental leave and fully paid additional birth leave for partners, and our campus features a daycare.
• Moving to the Netherlands for your job with EUR? Then you may be eligible for the 30%-ruling if you meet the requirements of the Belastingdienst (Dutch tax agency), and with our Dual Career Programme we will also help your partner find the right job for them.

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) is an internationally oriented university with a strong social orientation in its education and research, as expressed in our mission ‘Creating positive societal impact’. EUR is home to 3.700 academics and professionals and almost 33.000 students from more than 140 countries. Everything we do, we do under the credo The Erasmian Way – Making Minds Matter. We’re global citizens, connecting, entrepreneurial, open-minded, and socially involved. These Erasmian Values function as our internal compass and create EUR’s distinctive and recognizable profile. From these values, with a broad perspective and with an eye for diversity, different backgrounds and opinions, our employees work closely together to solve societal challenges from the dynamic and cosmopolitan city of Rotterdam. Thanks to the high quality and positive societal impact of our research and education, EUR can compete with the top European universities. www.eur.nl.

Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences (ESSB)
The Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences is home to a vast diversity of scientific disciplines: public administration, pedagogical sciences, psychology and sociology. In addition, the Erasmus University College, IHS, and two research institutes RISBO and DRIFT are linked to the faculty. This also reflects in the content of the (international) bachelor's and master's programs and in research. Our activities are always focused on people and society. At the ESSB fundamental, internationally oriented research is of paramount importance. In addition, social research for professionals, policy makers, and the society is part of our research activities. ESSB offers a stimulating research environment where major national and international research grants are received. Appealing guest researchers and ambitious PhD candidates come along to conduct their research. Our education is small-scale and works with innovative forms of education such as Problem-Based Learning (PBL). Both the Dutch and English programs are highly ranked by students and alumni. ESSB is home to over 4000 students and more than 400 staff-members. The different disciplines are supported by the Faculty Office (for more information, please visit www.eur.nl/essb).

Department of Public Administration and Sociology (DPAS)

DPAS encompasses the disciplines Public Administration and Sociology: two related scientific fields each with a unique profile. Public Administration studies governance capacity and policy interventions. It focuses on institutional power to organize and intervene in the relations between different social, political and economic actors. Public Administration in Rotterdam goes far beyond the public realm to also pay attention to public-private cooperation and the networks of organizations. Sociology investigates the social structures of societies and the way these evolve. Sociologists in Rotterdam focus, inter alia, on processes of globalization and individualization, and the effects of these processes on international social relations, the labor market and family relations. Social issues that are studied under this banner include migration, flexibilization and solidarity. The perspectives of Public Administration and Sociology complement each other. Together they guarantee a highly relevant and scientific approach to topical administrative and social issues. The bachelor- and master programs of DPAS are built on this profile and develop students into scientifically schooled professionals.

Team Policy, Politics and Society (PPS)

The team Policy, Politics and Society (PPS) is an interdisciplinary team that does research and provides teaching around a broad set of complex policy issues. Working together based on the principles of team science, PPS aims to provide a stimulating and creative environment for academic development. Besides scientific impact, societal impact and engagement (with communities, governments, organizations) are key trademark of the team. Within PPS, specializations have emerged on a number of complex policy issues, such as institutional reform, welfare and inclusion, European and global governance, resilient cities, e-governance, and on migration and diversity.