At LabFer we study the impact of the ongoing labour market change on fertility (macro-level) | we examine the individual-level mechanisms behind the observed macro-level fertility effects of the ongoing labour market change | we investigate the role of the growing inequalities between the low-and-medium and the highly skilled for the relative | fertility patterns of the two groups | we study the role of family and employment policies in moderating the fertility effects of the labour market change. This project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement No 866207)

Recent entries

15/04/2026
Labour Market Transformations and the Future of Families – Final Conference of the ERC Project LABFER

📍 Warsaw, Poland | 📅 25–26 September 2026 The world of work is changing fast—and so are the conditions under which people form families and have children. Technological change, globalisation, ...
23/01/2025
Podcast concept. Set of illustrations about podcasting. People listening to audio in headphones, podcast app on smartphone, podcaster speaking in microphone.
LabFam Podcast – Explore the Intersection of Work and Family Through Research

We’re proud to announce the launch of the LabFam Podcast, a platform dedicated to exploring the complex interplay between work, family, and societal change. This podcast brings our academic research ...
05/07/2024
Illustrative photo
Join LabFam team – we’re seeking Assistant Professor!

We are seeking to fill a position of the Assistant Professor (full-time, fixed-term, research employee) within the ERC Consolidator Grant “Globalization- and Technology-Driven Labour Market Change and Fertility” (PI: Anna ...
30/03/2023
Our latest project publication in European Journal of Population: Industrial Robots and Regional Fertility in European Countries

Do the long-term structural changes in the labour market, driven by automation, affect fertility? Over the last two decades, technological advancements in production, including cutting-edge industrial robots, have tremendously transformed ...
20/09/2022
conference materials photo of cup and pen
Family life and the changing world of work – conference presentations

It was a great pleasure to host researchers from several research instutitions from all over Europe who discussed how the changing world of work affects families, fertility patterns, career opportunities ...
31/01/2022
Illustrative photo
Join our International Conference: 15-16 Sept 2022

Together with University of Florence, we’re very excited to announce that we’re organizing an in-person conference in September 2022, in Warsaw. Conference (‘Family Life and the Changing World of Work’) ...

About LabFer

The LabFer project is implemented by Interdisciplinary Center for Labor Market and Family Dynamics (LABFAM) is a research center established at the Faculty of Economic Sciences at the University of Warsaw thanks to the financial support of the National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA).
LABFER is the first project that will comprehensively describe and evaluate fertility consequences of the unprecedented changes in the labour market, caused by digitalisation and globalisation.
Read more
Globalization
The fall of barriers to trade and international flow of people and capital has created new opportunities for personal development and occupational careers but it also results in higher work demands and greater uncertainty about the future job prospects ...
Family
The ongoing changes in the labour market affect the prospects for securing income, the time we can spend with the family and our material and psychological well-being. They will thus have consequences for family formation and its stability…
Technological change
The development of internet and new information and communication technologies is turning the ways we work upside down, creating new opportunities for workers but also new risks….
Public policies
Can public services (childcare institutions, vocational training schemes) and transfers help alleviate the negative consequences of dynamic labour market changes on families?