Role type
Research
Research roles involve gathering information, analysing it, and turning findings into recommendations. These roles appear at government bodies, research institutes, consultancies, and large corporates.
In this type of role, you formulate a question, collect and analyse relevant data, and write up the results. That might mean estimating the effect of a policy measure, analysing market trends, or writing a report that informs a strategic decision.
Organisations and governments need reliable information to make decisions. Research roles exist to produce that information. Depending on the role, the question might be economic ("what is the effect of this tax on household spending?"), commercial ("how do customers perceive this product?"), or strategic ("should we enter this market?"). The methods differ, but the core task is the same: find a good answer and communicate it clearly.
The daily work always involves some combination of gathering data, analysing it, and writing up results. How much time goes into each step depends on the role. An Economic Researcher may spend weeks on a single model. A Market Researcher may run many smaller projects in parallel. A Strategist may spend more time in meetings and presentations than at a desk. What varies most is the audience: some roles write for academic peers, others for ministers, others for a commercial team.
The same role can look different across organisations. A Policy Analyst at a ministry works within a government context with long approval chains. A Policy Analyst at an independent research institute has more academic freedom. A Strategist at a consulting firm moves between clients and industries. A Strategist in-house focuses on one organisation over a longer period.
The shared skills across research roles are structuring a problem clearly, working with data, applying the right analytical method, and writing in plain language. Statistical knowledge is relevant in most research roles, though the level varies. Tools like R, Python, Excel, and Stata are common. The ability to present findings to a non-technical audience matters in all of them.
Research roles
5 roles fall under the Research type.
Companies
Organisations where econometrics graduates typically work in Research roles.
Working at CBS: In a world full of opinions, we work on the facts.
We’re a management consulting firm that advises other businesses on their toughest challenges.
Wij zijn een advies- en onderzoeksbureau dat met data en econometrie werkt aan maatschappelijke vraagstukken.