CEU Professor Andrea Weber Awarded Prestigious ERC Synergy Grant to Study Key Labor Market Challenges
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VIENNA, AUSTRIA, November 12, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Vienna, November 12, 2026 – Andrea Weber, Professor of Economics at Central European University (CEU), is one of four leading economists from CEU, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (London), University College London, and the NHH Norwegian School of Economics who have been awarded a prestigious €12.7 million ‘Synergy’ grant funded by the European Research Council.
The six-year project, “Labor Shortages: Measurement, Mismatch, and Mobility” (LabShort), investigates one of Europe's most pressing economic challenges: growing labor shortages alongside unemployment and the underutilization of workers' skills. The researchers aim to understand why labor shortages and underemployment coexist across Europe, how workers' skills can be better matched to employers' needs, and whether regional and cross-border mobility can alleviate imbalances.
The project is led by Richard Blundell (IFS and UCL), alongside Fabien Postel Vinay (UCL, SMU, and IFS), Andrea Weber (CEU), and Kjell Salvanes (NHH). Key contributions will come from senior researchers Monica Costa-Dias (University of Bristol and IFS), Attila Lindner (UCL and IFS), Miklos Koren (CEU), Katrine Loeken (NHH), Alexander Willen (NHH). The team further includes researchers from the Institut des Politiques Publiques in France and e61 Institute in Australia.
Why Does Europe Face Labor Shortages While Workers Remain Underemployed?
European labor markets face mounting pressure from ageing populations, declining workforces, and changing demands for skills which may be further intensified by technological developments, including artificial intelligence. While employers in some regions struggle to recruit qualified workers, other regions experience unemployment or underutilization of existing skills. These imbalances have real economic costs. They affect economic productivity, wages, inequality, and the provision of essential public services.
LabShort seeks to understand this paradox by developing new measures of skill and geographical imbalances in labour markets, investigating what drives labour shortages, and examining how the expectations of employers and workers shape how people look for jobs, how employers hire, and the skills workers acquire. The researchers will also explore the role of regional and cross-border mobility in alleviating shortages and mismatch. This research will draw on innovative cross-country data linkages, new surveys, and economic theories.
“It is a rare privilege to be awarded such a major grant from the European Research Council, and to have the opportunity to work in an exceptional team to study one of the most important challenges facing European economies. The operation of labor markets are core to understanding productivity and inequalities, including regional inequalities. Thereby the project will be particularly relevant for Austria and Central and Eastern Europe where cross-border mobility plays an important role,” said Andrea Weber, Professor of Economics at CEU.
About Central European University
Founded in 1991 and based in Vienna since 2019, CEU is a non-profit private university with around 1,500 students from more than 100 countries pursuing bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs accredited both in the United States and Austria. With more than 200 outstanding faculty members and researchers, CEU maintains an excellent student–faculty ratio and consistent external recognition through prestigious research awards and third-party funded projects. CEU is committed to equal opportunity, diversity, open societies, and freedom of expression – exemplified through initiatives such as the Invisible University for Ukraine.
CEU maintains a research and civic engagement presence in Budapest through the CEU Democracy Institute, the Vera and Donald Blinken Open Society Archivum (OSA), the Roma Graduate Preparation Program (RGPP), the CEU Institute for Advanced Study (IAS), and the Center for Ethics and Law in Biomedicine (CELAB), as well as a wide range of public educational programs, lectures, and cultural events, organized by the Civic Engagement, Arts, and Culture Unit.
For interview requests or further information, please contact:
CEU Media Relations
press@ceu.edu
The six-year project, “Labor Shortages: Measurement, Mismatch, and Mobility” (LabShort), investigates one of Europe's most pressing economic challenges: growing labor shortages alongside unemployment and the underutilization of workers' skills. The researchers aim to understand why labor shortages and underemployment coexist across Europe, how workers' skills can be better matched to employers' needs, and whether regional and cross-border mobility can alleviate imbalances.
The project is led by Richard Blundell (IFS and UCL), alongside Fabien Postel Vinay (UCL, SMU, and IFS), Andrea Weber (CEU), and Kjell Salvanes (NHH). Key contributions will come from senior researchers Monica Costa-Dias (University of Bristol and IFS), Attila Lindner (UCL and IFS), Miklos Koren (CEU), Katrine Loeken (NHH), Alexander Willen (NHH). The team further includes researchers from the Institut des Politiques Publiques in France and e61 Institute in Australia.
Why Does Europe Face Labor Shortages While Workers Remain Underemployed?
European labor markets face mounting pressure from ageing populations, declining workforces, and changing demands for skills which may be further intensified by technological developments, including artificial intelligence. While employers in some regions struggle to recruit qualified workers, other regions experience unemployment or underutilization of existing skills. These imbalances have real economic costs. They affect economic productivity, wages, inequality, and the provision of essential public services.
LabShort seeks to understand this paradox by developing new measures of skill and geographical imbalances in labour markets, investigating what drives labour shortages, and examining how the expectations of employers and workers shape how people look for jobs, how employers hire, and the skills workers acquire. The researchers will also explore the role of regional and cross-border mobility in alleviating shortages and mismatch. This research will draw on innovative cross-country data linkages, new surveys, and economic theories.
“It is a rare privilege to be awarded such a major grant from the European Research Council, and to have the opportunity to work in an exceptional team to study one of the most important challenges facing European economies. The operation of labor markets are core to understanding productivity and inequalities, including regional inequalities. Thereby the project will be particularly relevant for Austria and Central and Eastern Europe where cross-border mobility plays an important role,” said Andrea Weber, Professor of Economics at CEU.
About Central European University
Founded in 1991 and based in Vienna since 2019, CEU is a non-profit private university with around 1,500 students from more than 100 countries pursuing bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs accredited both in the United States and Austria. With more than 200 outstanding faculty members and researchers, CEU maintains an excellent student–faculty ratio and consistent external recognition through prestigious research awards and third-party funded projects. CEU is committed to equal opportunity, diversity, open societies, and freedom of expression – exemplified through initiatives such as the Invisible University for Ukraine.
CEU maintains a research and civic engagement presence in Budapest through the CEU Democracy Institute, the Vera and Donald Blinken Open Society Archivum (OSA), the Roma Graduate Preparation Program (RGPP), the CEU Institute for Advanced Study (IAS), and the Center for Ethics and Law in Biomedicine (CELAB), as well as a wide range of public educational programs, lectures, and cultural events, organized by the Civic Engagement, Arts, and Culture Unit.
For interview requests or further information, please contact:
CEU Media Relations
press@ceu.edu
CEU News
Central European University (CEU)
news@ceu.edu
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