Introductory description

The module is a Labour Economics Module. It is designed for Final year Economics students, who have interest in the area of Labour Economics and Education Economics. The module teaches a range of topics related to these two areas in addition to linking the Labour market dynamics to gender specific topics. The module is both research oriented and research tutored type of module. It introduces and examines the theoretical foundations of the covered topics and integrate them with the empirical investigations of such topics.

Module web page

Module aims

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

The syllabus for this module may include some or all of the following list of topics, although it should be noted that this list is not exhaustive: wage setting; wage dispersion; wage structure; employment; unemployment; labour supply; labour market equilibrium; human capital, education and training; labour demand; unions; mobility and migration; labour market discrimination; labour market interventions and policy evaluation.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• Subject Knowledge and Understanding:...demonstrate knowledge and understanding of: (i) Economic Principles: knowledge and understanding of core concepts and methods in micro and macroeconomics. (ii) Intermediate labour economics, by applying the microeconomic techniques acquired in earlier economics modules. (iii) The operation of both supply and demand in the labour market, its imperfections and its institutional features. (iv) Theories which seek to model, understand and explain heterogeneity in labour market behaviour. (v) Research issues: Familiarity with contemporary debates and latest research in labour economics. Understanding of how to approach an economic problem from the perspective of a contemporary researcher in economics.

Indicative reading list

Please see Talis Aspire link for most up to date list.

View reading list on Talis Aspire

Subject specific skills

Students will develop key knowledge of the labour market elements of supply and demand. Such knowledge will help them understand the dynamics of the labour market and how to perceive it not just an Economics graduate but also as a potential candidate in the lobour market. Students will develop knowledge of the key empirical methods to examine the labour market analysis and will develop the skills to be able to critically examine these methods and their limitations. Students will develop knowledge of understanding global labour market issues such as immigration and gender discrimination, which enables them to develop their own perspectives on them and be an informative individual on matters that affect the wide range of the population. Students will develop further mathematical and quantitative analysis skills that would improve their competencies profile for their job applications and implementation.

Transferable skills

Students will gain the skills in understanding the dynamics of national and international labour markets and the factors influencing them. This will allow them to make informative decisions on how and where to allocate their labour supply. Students will be able to assess labour market demand across industries and that allows them to make informative decisions on the types of jobs available to their specialties. Students will develop the skills in understanding the key theoretical and empirical aspects of human capital and its investment. This allows students to develop the skills in how to decide on their own investments in human capital whether in the form of their higher education degrees, training opportunities and even immigration opportunities. Students will gain skills in identifying key gender issues in the labour market and be able to adjust their perceptions accordingly of employment placements and opportunities. Students will develop further mathematical and quantitative analysis skills that would improve their competencies in delivering deep economic quantitative analysis.