PhD in Labour Migration in Digital Industrial Policy

VU Hoofdgebouw

Amsterdam

1 / 1

Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities

PhD

MSc

Closes on

01-12-2026

Publishing date

05-11-2026

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How is the EU’s quest for digital autonomy reshaping labour markets? Join this PhD project to explore how policymakers, employers and trade unions shape labour migration in Europe’s digital transformation.

Your function

This fully funded four-year PhD position is part of an ERC Starting Grant ‘Migrant Labor in EU’s Pivot to Digital Autonomy’ funded by the European Research Council and led by Dr. Julia Rone at the Department of Political Science and Public Administration, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

The broader ERC project develops new explanations of how the EU (and individual member states) change labour migration policies to further their digital industrial policy ambitions. The project will offer a novel theorization of how the governance of labour migration intersects with digital capitalism, positioning the EU and its member states as active “catching-up” actors.

The project is structured around four interlinked objectives:

to conceptualize and map migrant labour across the digital stack in the EU, with a focus on flagship EU projects on networks, semiconductor chips, cloud, and AI.

to analyse the strategic interactions between firms, trade unions, and policy makers in shaping digital labour migration regimes

to analyse how migrant workers themselves experience, assess and (fail to) shape labour policies and workplace conditions in digital industry across the stack

to advance a meso- and macro-level theorization of the (re)configuration of labour migration regimes in service of digital capitalism.

The PhD project
The PhD project will primarily contribute to Objectives 2 and 4. Your research will examine specifically how policy makers, employers and trade unions interact to decide who counts as a high-skilled, mid-skilled and low-skilled migrant in the digital industrial sector, what rules apply to them, and what rights they have. The main sectors analysed will be strategic priority sectors in EU digital industrial policy, including networks, semiconductor chips, cloud, and AI.

The project will involve a cross-national comparative policy analysis, process tracing, and qualitative interviews. Experience with survey methods will be a plus but is not essential.

Your duties
As a PhD candidate, you will complete a cumulative PhD dissertation within four years, consisting of four publishable journal articles. Working closely with your supervisory team, led by Dr. Julia Rone, and in collaboration with the ERC research team, which includes two other postdoctoral researchers, you will play an integral role in advancing Objectives 2 and 4 of the ERC project.

As part of your PhD, you will conduct comparative cross-national analyses on labour migration policies in the service of industrial policy, followed by a process tracing to explain the differences in the relative influence of various actors (such as employers or trade unions) in different national contexts and the EU more broadly. Your research will contribute to a broader theorization of the relation between infrastructural labour and digital capitalism in the current AI boom.

You will actively participate in the intellectual life of the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at the VU, present your work at international conferences and workshops, contribute to collaborative research activities within the project, and have the opportunity to undertake research stays abroad within the project’s international network of collaborators.

Your profile

We are looking for a PhD candidate who:

has obtained a (research) master’s degree in Political Economy, Political Science, Sociology, Migration Studies, or a closely related field
has a strong interest in the political economy of digital capitalism and labour migration
is familiar with qualitative semi-structured interviews
has experience with qualitative research and comparative research design
has experience in process tracing
possesses excellent academic writing skills in English
works independently and responsibly, while also collaborating well with colleagues
is communicative, open-minded, and engaged in interdisciplinary research environments

As a university, we strive for equal opportunities for all, recognising that diversity takes many forms. We believe that diversity in all its complexity is invaluable for the quality of our teaching, research and service. We are always looking for talent with diverse backgrounds and experiences. This also means that we are committed to creating an inclusive community so that we can use diversity as an asset.

We realise that each individual brings a unique set of skills, expertise and mindset. Therefore, we are happy to invite anyone who recognises themselves in the profile to apply, even if you do not meet all the requirements.

What do we offer?

A challenging position in a socially engaged organisation. At VU Amsterdam, you contribute to education, research and service for a better world. And that is valuable. So in return for your efforts, we offer you:

a salary of € 3.204,00 (PhD) and maximum €4.051,00 (PhD) gross per month in the fourth year, for a full-time employment
an employment contract of initially 1 year. If there is sufficient perspective, this will be extended to a total of 4 years. Your dissertation at the end of the fourth year forms the end of your employment contract

We also offer you attractive fringe benefits and arrangements. Some examples:

a full-time 38-hour working week comes with a holiday leave entitlement of 232 hours per year. If you choose to work 40 hours, you have 96 extra holiday leave hours on an annual basis. For part-timers, this is calculated pro rata
8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
optional model for designing a personalized benefits package
contribution to commuting expenses
a wide range of sports facilities which staff may use at a modest charge

All PhD candidates of the School of Social Sciences are enrolled in the Graduate School of Social Sciences (VU-GSSS) and admission to the VU-GSSS is part of the hiring procedure. More details can be found on their website and are available upon request.

For more information about employment conditions, see Guideline appointment policy PhD candidates - Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

About us

You will be employed at the Department of Political Science and Public Administration within the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities. This is a large and diverse department with many multidiscipilinary research projects into societally relevant topics: Political Science and Public Administration - VU Amsterdam

Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities
A better understanding of ourselves and social communities, values and meaning, through social sciences and humanities. That is the aim of The Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities. No single discipline can do this alone. The SSH disciplines are characterised by an open way of thinking and the natural urge to seek coherence and connection.

The faculty consists of nine academic departments within three schools: School of Religion & Theology (SRT), School of Social Sciences (SSc) and School of Humanities (SH).

Are you interested in joining Social Sciences and Humanities? You become part of a dynamic academic community with approximately 900 staff members, over 5,000 regular students and more than 5,000 course participants. In an inspiring and collegial environment, we work together on education and research with impact.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam stands for values-driven education and research. We are open-minded experts with the ability to think freely - a broader mind. Maintaining an entrepreneurial perspective and concentrating on diversity, significance and humanity, we work on sustainable solutions with social impact. By joining forces, across the boundaries of disciplines, we work towards a better world for people and planet. Together we create a safe and respectful working and study climate, and an inspiring environment for education and research. Learn more about our codes of conduct

We are located on one physical campus, in the heart of Amsterdam's Zuidas business district, with excellent location and accessibility. Over 6,150 staff work at the VU and over 31,000 students attend academic education.

Diversity
Diversity is the driving force of VU Amsterdam. VU wants to be accessible and receptive to diversity in disciplines, cultures, ideas, nationalities, beliefs, preferences and worldviews. We believe that trust, respect, interest and differences lead to new insights and innovation, to sharpness and clarity, to excellence and a broader understanding.

We stand for an inclusive community and believe that diversity and internationalisation contribute to the quality of education, research and our services.

Therefore, we are always searching for people whose backgrounds and experience contribute to the diversity of the VU community.

Interested

Are you interested in this position and do you believe that your experience will contribute to the further development of our university? In that case, we encourage you to submit your application.

Please apply via the VU Amsterdam application system no later than December 1. Upload:

Curriculum vitae (CV)

Motivation letter (max. 2 pages), explaining:

how your academic background and research interests connect to the themes of digital industrial policy and labour migration
what would be your specific approach to the research questions and objectives of this PhD project
what makes you stand out as a candidate for this particular PhD position in the MILEVA project

Applications received by e-mail will not be considered.

Acquisition in response to this advertisement is not appreciated.