Institute for Research on Labor & Employment (IRLE)

The Institute for Research on Labor and Employment (IRLE) at UC Berkeley is an interdisciplinary institute that connects world-class research with policy to improve workers’ lives, families, and communities. We advance understanding of the conditions, policies, and institutions that impact worker well-being, and we inform public debate with hard evidence on inequality, the economy, and the changing nature of work. WHAT WE DO 🔹 Partner with faculty and experts at UC Berkeley and beyond to drive research that improves workers’ lives. 🔹 Bring work and workers into academic and policy discussions, showing how labor issues, communities, and institutions impact each other. 🔹 Support emerging and established scholars with research resources and a thriving intellectual community. SHAPING POLICY AND DEBATE IRLE is home to several nationally recognized centers that conduct research, education, and outreach on labor and employment issues. Through publications, technical assistance, expert testimony, and more, our centers have played a leading role in identifying and shaping solutions to today’s most urgent social and economic issues. 🔹 The Labor Center develops research to promote policies supporting working families and trains a diverse new generation of labor leaders. 🔹 The California Policy Lab partners with public agencies to generate research on government impact and improve the state's public programs and policies. 🔹 The Center on Wage and Employment Dynamics conducts cutting-edge research on issues like the minimum wage and the gig economy. 🔹 The Center for the Study of Child Care Employment provides research and analysis on the preparation, working conditions, and compensation of the early care and education workforce. 🔹 The Climate and Society Center aims to accelerate California’s equitable transition to renewable energy and zero-carbon emissions through rigorous research and community collaboration.