Research Path - Työn ja talouden tutkimus LABORE

In 2018, Labore established the Research Path program (formerly Doctoral Incubator), which has provided funding and support for postgraduate studies and dissertation work in economics. In 2025, the Research Path was restructured to offer a career pathway from the master’s level to the early stages of a research career (the so-called postdoc phase). At the same time, the program’s name was changed from Doctoral Incubator to Research Path.

The Research Path provides opportunities for planning dissertation topics, undertaking postgraduate studies, completing a dissertation, and refining dissertation articles into peer-reviewed publications at the start of a research career. Dissertation topics are not strictly limited, but the focus is on applied research related to labor markets and economic development. Theses are supervised by each participant’s university, but Labore’s researchers also offer support for the work.

Many of the Research Path’s doctoral candidates have completed a one-year research visit at a high-ranking international university. The Research Path is funded by the Finnish Wage Earners’ Research Foundation (Palkansaajasäätiö).

Currently, the Research Path includes Research Trainee Marko Ikävalko, Doctoral Candidate Outi Jurvanen, and Postdoc Researcher Sami Jysmä. To date, the following individuals have completed their doctorates through the former Doctoral Incubator: Tiina Kuuppelomäki (2023) and Aapo Stenhammar (2024). Additionally, two researchers are expected to complete their doctorates in 2025.

SAMI JYSMÄ

SAMI JYSMÄ attends the University of Tampere and was a research trainee with us already in 2016. The focus of his research has been on public finances (including the impact of the confectionery tax, the impact of mortgages on household consumption, and labour supply). Sami has proven to be a good researcher and is progressing in his studies according to his target schedule. Sami was a visiting researcher at Harvard University and NBER from 2022 to 2023.
OUTI JURVANEN

OUTI JURVANEN is a third-year doctoral candidate at the University of Helsinki, supervised by Niku Määttänen. Her research combines macroeconomics and environmental economics, with a particular focus on the green transition in companies.
MARKO IKÄVALKO

MARKO IKÄVALKO holds a master’s degree in economics from the School of Business at Aalto University. His research focuses on the intersection of labor markets and urban economics. Currently, Marko is studying the effects of remote work on labor markets in collaboration with Labore’s research director Tuomo Suhonen. Marko wrote his master’s thesis on commuting in the Helsinki metropolitan area.