Ana Figueiredo joined the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, School of Business and Economics as an assistant professor on 1 September 2023. We are excited to welcome her at our school and the research department Economics. The coming years, Ana will study the search behavior of unemployed workers.
About Ana Figueiredo 's NWO Veni project
Losing a job causes a significant and persistent drop in earnings for workers. How they protect themselves against these adverse consequences might influence their job search behaviour and, as a consequence, future earnings. For example, a wealthy worker who suddenly loses their job can use liquid savings to prolong job search and wait for a suitable job, but this is not an option for low-wealth workers.
Instead, the pressure to find a new job can quickly push these workers to search for jobs that are easier to find. Previous studies have indeed shown that low-wealth workers experience shorter unemployment durations. Yet, what type of jobs they take on to cope with the loss of income remains an open question.
This VENI project tackles this issue by studying the role of temporary work as a self-insurance mechanism for workers with limited financial resources.
"My research will focus on three dimensions,” says Figueiredo. “Firstly, the impact of wealth on the take-up of temporary employment after job loss. Secondly, how this interacts with risk-sharing opportunities within a household. And finally, the long-run consequences for earnings of taking on temporary work to cope with income loss.”
“The project will improve our understanding about the search behaviour of unemployed workers, which is key to design effective labour market policies,” explains Figueiredo.
About Ana Figueiredo and her research
Before joining the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Ana Figueiredo worked as an assistant professor at Erasmus School of Economics. She received her PhD in economics from Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain in 2018. Her research interests lie at the intersection of macroeconomics and labour economics, focusing on labour market dynamics and inequality.
About the Veni Grant
The NWO Veni grant, of up to 280.000 euros, is awarded to excellent researchers who have recently obtained their PhD, to conduct independent research and develop their ideas for a period of three years. Laureates are at the start of their scientific career and display a striking talent for scientific research.