Institute for Research on Labor & Employment (IRLE)

IRLE is an interdisciplinary institute at the University of California, Berkeley that connects world-class research with policy to improve workers’ lives, communities, and society.MISSION:The Institute for Research on Labor and Employment promotes better understanding of the conditions, policies, and institutions that affect the well-being of workers and their families and communities. We inform public debate with hard evidence about inequality, the economy, and the nature of work.WHAT WE DO:IRLE partners with faculty and experts at UC Berkeley and beyond to foster innovative analysis and research that improves workers’ lives. Through this research, we bring work and workers into academic and policy conversations, and show how labor issues affect communities and institutions – and vice versa. We activate and support emerging scholars and established academics at Berkeley, providing research support and a thriving intellectual community.OUR NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED CENTERS:The Labor Center develops research and analysis to promote policies that help working families. Its education and leadership trainings are producing a diverse new generation of labor leaders.California Policy Lab partners with state and local policymakers to evaluate and improve public programs through research and technical assistance.Center on Wage and Employment Dynamics engages in cutting-edge academic and policy research on important economic topics.Center for the Study of Child Care Employment conducts research about early childhood educators to inform policy and investments that improve their preparation, working conditions, and compensation.California Public Employee Relations provides the California public sector with resources to navigate workplace rights.The Shift Project studies workplace scheduling practices and related policies at the nation's largest retail and food-service firms.