PhD Candidate in 'Fostering living wages in the EU'

Join Tilburg Law School as a PhD researcher at a pivotal moment in EU labour law. With the Adequate Minimum Wages Directive now upheld by the CJEU, this project invites you to investigate the legal tools needed to ensure fair pay, strengthen collective bargaining, and protect vulnerable workers. If you are driven to advance social justice through rigorous legal research, we invite you to apply!

The PhD project

1. Background

In the mid-2010s, after the financial crisis, the EU recognised the need for rethinking protection of low wage workers by ensuring their incomes are sufficient to provide a minimum standard of living. The EU Directive 2022/2014 on Adequate Minimum Wages (AMW) was received as a “watershed” by the European Parliament, marking a reversal in the decades-long debate on the possibilities and limitations of a European minimum wage policy. The AMW Directive seeks to tackle in-work poverty with an increase and upward convergence in minimum wage levels among EU member states. It stipulates several measures, including establishing a framework to ensure an adequate minimum wage, to strengthen the role of collective bargaining in wage setting, and to improve workers’ access to the enforcement of their minimum wage rights. Member states had until 15 November 2024 to transpose the AMW Directive into national law. Recently, on 11 November 2025, the CJEU brought an end to a period of uncertainty about the legality of the AMW Directive by confirming the validity of the directive (with only minor exceptions) in its judgment in Case C-19/23. This important judgment will not only provide new energy to the implementation process of the directive in the member states, but also signals that much needed in-depth research can start into unsolved complexities and ambiguities in this directive and how member states deal with this in their implementation measures.

2. Research project aims

The research project seeks to bridge current gaps in academic work through a thorough study in the field of EU regulation to foster living wages, in view of recent legal developments.

The PhD candidate is able to further develop an own direction and research question within the context of this research aim. Relevant research subjects would entail, for instance:

• An investigation of whether legal tools can ensure that wages are truly “adequate” for all workers: While the directive aims to cover all workers, questions remain regarding specific groups such as (bogus) self-employed workers and whether variations or exclusions (e.g., for young workers) are permissible under the directive’s principles. Also, as the AMW directive provides benchmarks based on full-time employment relationships, the question of how to guarantee a decent standard of living for part-time workers remains. Are member states expected to combine adequate minimum wage levels with income protection schemes such as the socio-fiscal allowances scheme (toeslagenstelsel) in the Netherlands? In this respect, research from a combined social and tax law perspective can offer added value.
• A study of the tools developed by member states to comply with the requirements of the AMW directive to provide state support for collective bargaining on wage formation. This would require comparative legal research of different collective bargaining systems and traditions in a selection of member states.
• An investigation of how the (implementation measures of the) AMW directive addresses the gender dimension of in-work poverty, given the over-representation of women in low-paid jobs and the directive’s ambition to contribute to the fight against gender inequality and the gender pay gap. In this respect, it would be interesting to examine how the AMW directive interacts with another recent EU legislative initiative in the field of wages, namely Directive 2023/970 on gender pay transparency.
• The PhD position is an 80/20 position, which means that 80 percent of your time will be dedicated to research and 20 percent to teaching.

3. Research Program: Connecting Responsible Organizations

This PhD project aligns with the Research Program’s goal of contributing to sustainable society challenges. The Research Program emphasizes (private) regulatory challenges for a just and sustainable society, including the protection of vulnerable people and stakeholders. This PhD project lies squarely within this Research Program, particularly the theme of sustainability and more particularly the sub-topics ‘The weaker party and the law’ (Su1), ‘Responsibility and liability for environmental and (social) human rights impacts’ (Su2) and ‘Protecting workers and other stakeholders in modern organizations’ (Te2).

Tilburg University is curious about how you can contribute to our research, education, impact, and to the team you will be part of. Therefore, we would like to get the best possible picture of your knowledge, insight, skills, and personality. Below you can find the qualifications we consider important for the position.

As a successful candidate:

• You have an LLM degree (or equivalent qualification) in the field of labour law or related area,  including knowledge of European Union law and, preferably, comparative law. As a current master student, you are welcome to apply as long as you will complete your master program before 1 September 2026.
• You have a demonstrable interest in labour law and in the research topic outlined in this advertisement.
• You have strong analytical skills, you are a disciplined worker and have good skills to plan the PhD research over a longer period.
• Apart from an interest in research, you are willing to provide education in the field of labour law. You are able to present your research (results) for educational purposes and you are willing to develop these presenting and lecturing skills during the PhD trajectory.
• You have an interest in teaching and supervising students at bachelor and/or master level (e.g., tutorial groups, thesis supervision);
• You have good organizational and social skills; you can take initiative and you have a proactive work attitude.
• You have a high proficiency (CEFR C2 level) in English, allowing for effective communication and documentation
• You have an excellent written and spoken command of Dutch or you are willing to learn Dutch in order to function in a Dutch speaking working environment. Knowledge of other languages is recommended.
• You acknowledge the importance of scientific integrity;
• You have team spirit: you feel part of a team and express this through collaboration, sharing knowledge and experiences, and contributing to an open, inclusive and diversified work environment at PBLL;
• You show personal leadership: you take responsibility for your work and career and possess a good level of self-knowledge;
• You are willing to perform your work in the Netherlands and are present at the Tilburg University campus during your PhD-trajectory.

International PhD candidates with scholarships below the applicable IND income standard (currently €2,191.80 per month excluding vacation pay) are unfortunately not eligible for this vacancy.

Tilburg University offers excellent benefits in a pleasant working environment:

• A position based on 1.0 fte (40 hours per week).
• A salary of minimum €3,059 and maximum €3,881 gross per month for full-time employment, based on UFO profile PhD student and salary scale P. Tilburg University uses a neutral remuneration system based on relevant work experience.
• This is a vacancy for a PhD in accordance with Article 2.3 paragraph 8 sub b CLA DU. You will initially be given a temporary contract for the duration of 18 months to assess your suitability. If suitable, this contract will be followed by a new fixed-term contract.
• Vacation pay of 8% and a year-end bonus of 8.3%.
• Over 8 weeks of vacation leave.
• Hybrid working with home working allowance (€2 p/day) and internet allowance (€25 p/month).
• Reimbursement sustainable commuting: walking, cycling, and public transport.
• An Options Model in which you exchange benefits for things such as additional leave, more pension, a bicycle or personal training at our Sports Center.
• Moving allowance (subject to conditions). 
• Employees from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for the 30/20/10% scheme.
• A pension with ABP; the most sustainable Dutch pension fund.
• Training in personal development, career development, leadership, education, and research or a language course at our Language Center.
• A work culture in which we embrace differences, everyone is welcome and given equal opportunities.
• A green, inviting campus that’s easily accessible by public transport.

For more information, see our website and the CLA Dutch Universities.

Tilburg University is an academic, inclusive, and engaged community. Together with nearly 3,000 employees, we are committed to broad prosperity, sustainably, and inclusion. For current and future generations. We develop and share knowledge for the requirements of people and our society. This is how we contribute to solving complex social issues and help society move forward.

We educate our 19,500 students of 110 nationalities to become responsible leaders with knowledge, skills, and character. With our education and research for broad prosperity, we exceedingly focus on themes such as mental and preventive care, an inclusive labor market, the energy transition, and digitalization.

About name School or Division

Since its founding in 1963, Tilburg Law School has become one of the leading law schools in Europe.  Through top research and the provision of high-quality university education, the School contributes to society. Tilburg Law School is organized into five Departments: Public Law and Governance; Tilburg Institute for Law, Technology, Markets and Society; Private, Business and Labour Law; the Fiscal Institute Tilburg; and Criminal Law. The mission of the School is to understand and improve the role of law and public administration in addressing the social problems of today and tomorrow. Through research and education, our scholars contribute to that mission.

More than 4,000 students pursue a Bachelor's, pre-Master's or Master's degree at Tilburg Law School. Through this education, we train students in law, public administration, and data science. The Tilburg Educational Profile (TEP) is unique in the Netherlands. Central to it are three core concepts: knowledge, skills, and character. A university education provides students with the latest substantive knowledge and trains them to be critical thinkers and resilient professionals. In addition, the School is committed to innovative educational concepts and, partly in response to the coronavirus crisis, has invested heavily in the quality of online education and in innovative didactic tools to make and keep students inquisitive.

Tilburg Law School's research is highly regarded nationally and internationally. The Tilburg Law School Departments work closely together in their research in four signature research programs: 1) Global Law and Governance; 2) Law and Security; 3) Connecting Responsible Organizations; and 4) Regulating Socio-Technical Change.

About the Department of Private, Business & Labour Law

The Department of Private, Business & Labour Law (PBLL) consists of approximately a hundred researchers, lecturers, and staff engaged in education and research in Private Law in its broadest sense. The inspiring and open culture makes working here a pleasure.

You will be part of an enthusiastic team of experienced lecturers who will guide you through everything that is involved in providing (online) education. In addition, a knowledgeable support team is ready to assist you with all practical matters related to providing education

Would you like to know more before applying? Feel free to contact Mijke Houwerzijl, M.S.Houwerzijl@tilburguniversity.edu.

We kindly invite you to apply before 27 February 2026; this can only be done online.

Please address your cover letter to Inge Graef and attach your resume, your masters’ diploma, your master’s thesis and the filled in TIRO application form (which can be found here). We look forward to your response.