At IFS, we recruit top-quality economists. We specialise in the economic analysis of public policy, bridging the gap between purely academic research and issues of practical policy design or evaluation. As a new recruit, you will carry out in-depth economic research and communicate your findings to politicians, journalists, academics and others such as campaigning groups and professional organisations.
We will support you in developing your skills, through further study and ad hoc training and by giving you opportunities to get involved with all aspects of research and communication right from the start.
If you join us with an undergraduate degree but no further degree - as many do - you will be encouraged to study part-time for a Masters degree in economics with financial support from the Institute. Your fees will be paid by IFS, and you will receive a mixture of paid and unpaid leave to attend classes and to study.
We welcome applications from:
* those expecting to graduate with an extremely good degree in economics or related degree with a significant economics component (e.g. economics and mathematics, or a degree with economics as a major);
* graduates with an extremely good degree in economics (and related degree) who are expecting to complete an MSc in economics; or
* exceptional economists with some experience in research, in academia, public or private sectors.
Candidates who are studying for or have completed a PhD are also welcome to apply and will be considered for a Research Economist role. If you consider it relevant, please include information about your doctoral research in the on-line application form; you may include a link to a website where your papers are available.
IFS researchers have established a strong record in the analysis of public policies in the UK and elsewhere, including developing countries. Applicants should therefore have studied economics in considerable depth, and should be strongly motivated by an interest in economics and its practical application.
Research Economists are paid on a scale, £43,000 to £65,000. A new graduate with no previous experience can expect to start on £43,000; a candidate with a postgraduate degree would start at around £46,000.
Any offer of employment is subject to the eligibility to work in the UK. The role is eligible for a Skilled Worker visa, and the IFS will support the application for relevant candidates where needed.
Application process
As part of our efforts to increase diversity among our staff, IFS uses BeApplied, a job application platform designed to encourage applicants from all backgrounds and to decrease bias in the hiring process. The application form is in four parts:
1. Diversity
The application form initially gathers diversity information; BeApplied collect this at the start of the application, as they have found it is more likely to be completed by candidates at this stage. But you do not have to answer these questions or allow this information to be included in the aggregate statistics if you prefer not to.
The diversity information is not linked to candidate's individual application details: we use it to track the aggregate characteristics of applicants and their progress through the application process, year on year. It helps us understand which groups of people may be underrepresented and take steps to remedy this.
2. Information about you
As well as practical information, such as contact details, visa status and any reasonable adjustments needed, we also collect information about academic performance at school and university. Because a large component of the role is academic research, this information about performance will contribute to our shortlisting decisions.
You will need to provide details of all the modules you took, or are currently taking, during any past and current degrees. If you have or are doing a higher degree, there is an opportunity to provide more information about your publications or other research outputs.
Candidates will also be asked to upload their CVs.
3. Aptitude and suitability questions
A further question is included to help us judge your suitability for the role.
A question about why you are interested in social policy research and IFS in particular.
4. Aptitude tests
As part of the application process, we also ask you to take short online numeracy and critical thinking tests. These tests will be used as additional information, used in combination with the information you provided on your application form. The results of these tests will be reviewed alongside your application form when shortlisting candidates.
Once you have started your application form, you will receive an email with a link to the numeracy and critical thinking tests, which you can complete when you are ready. The deadline for completion of the aptitude test is the same as the application, so please bear this in mind when completing your application form.
The aptitude tests are to be completed in a limited time. Should you have any extenuating circumstances or disabilities we need to be aware of, let us know via email at, and we will be able to give you extra time to complete the tests.
Completion of the numeracy test is a mandatory part of the application process. Applications that are submitted without a completed test will not be considered.
How we shortlist
Shortlisters will initially read and score the answers to the sift question. These will be anonymised and read separately from the other information about candidates.
At the next stage, these scores, as well as the two online tests scores, will be available along with the full candidate information you have provided: the scores will be considered, alongside your academic performance, to reach an initial longlist of candidates.
As part of the selection process, longlisted applicants will be invited to a screening call conducted by an Associate Director at IFS. This call forms a required stage of the application process and will include an economics case study question. The purpose of the call is to assess candidates' ability to apply economic concepts and reasoning to real-world problems.
Shortlisters will use all the information above to invite a pool of candidates to interview. Ahead of the first round of interviews, candidates will also be assigned a written task to complete and submit in advance.
A smaller group of candidates will be invited back to a second interview. In this round, candidates will complete an economic reasoning task based on materials provided on the day of the interview, followed by delivering a presentation on a topic that they will have been asked to prepare and submit in advance.
More information about our
selection process and interviews can be found here
.
Saving the application
You will be able to save the application and return to complete it later if you want to. You'll receive an email when you save the form with a link to return to it.
Timeline
The dates of the recruitment stages may change depending on business needs, and additional steps may be added to the process where needed.
Screening calls - Wednesday 5 to Tuesday 11 Nov 2025
Shortlisted candidates will be given a written task on Wednesday 12 Nov, with a deadline of Monday 17 Nov
First round online interviews - Wednesday 19, Thursday 20, and Friday 21 November
Candidates invited to a second round will be given a presentation to prepare on Wednesday 26 Nov, with a deadline of Tuesday 2 December
Second round in person interviews at our office - Wednesday 3, Thursday 4, Friday 5 December
Successful candidates can expect to start working at the IFS in Autumn 2026, with flexibility for an earlier start to be discussed.