Stijn Baert

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Stijn Baert

Who is Stijn Baert?

Baert was born in Lokeren on 14 October 1983. He graduated as a Civil Engineer in 2006, then gained a Master’s degree in Economics in 2008 and a Ph.D. in Economics from Ghent University in 2013. He has been full-time professor in empirical labour economics at Ghent University since October 2015.

He is the main promoter of UGent @ Work, the interdisciplinary consortium of 24 University of Ghent professors who lead research into work and the labour market. In addition, he is affiliated with the University of Antwerp as a part-time professor and with the Catholic University of Louvain, Global Labour Office (GLO), IMISCOE and the Institute for the Study of Labour (IZA) as a research fellow. Stijn Baert's research is mainly in the broad field of labour economics, with a focus on (i) the transition from school to work, (ii) labour market discrimination and (iii) work and health. He has published in renowned journals, such as European Economic Review, Labour Economics and the Journal of Applied Econometrics. He has received a great deal of recognition and acknowledgement for his (doctoral) research.

In 2015 and 2016, Stijn Baert was included in IDEAS' authoritative worldwide top 100 young economists (ranked 17th in 2016). In 2017 he was nominated for the choice of the most talented researcher in Flanders and Belgium, organised by the Dutch magazine 'New Scientist'. In January 2021, IDEAS ranked him 9th globally within his age group in their ranking of economists according to their scientific impact. Stijn's research and interpretations have been mentioned more than 1,750 times in the national and international media.

His proposals on accelerated degressivity for unemployment benefits and sectoral field tests on labour market discrimination have had a clear impact on policy. In 2015, Stijn Baert received an 'Annual Award for Science Communication' from the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts for his endeavours in science communication. In 2020, he was placed second in a ranking of Flemish 'thought leaders'. Baert is one of the six independent experts who, as a relaunch committee, are to assist the Flemish Government in the recovery of the economy following the corona crisis.

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    The war for talent: about the fire, the conundrum and the pool

    Where employees used to have to fight for a job, companies are now fighting for workers, the witticism says. In his lecture, Professor Baert objectifies this fierce war for talent or labour shortage. He proves that this is now effectively raging more fiercely than in the past and more amongst us than elsewhere, warning that we are on the verge of going from a record number of vacancies to a record number of missed opportunities. He then analyses two underlying problems: the conundrum between available job seekers and vacancies does not correlate and the pool from which employers have to fish is too small due to the high level of inactivity in our country. Professor Baert concludes with a few solutions directed at policy. Depending on the number of hours planned for preparation, he can (to a limited extent) tailor this keynote to the audience present. The keynote is particularly popular with an audience of enterprising, working and saving Flemish individuals with an interest in politics and/or economics. Professor Baert touches on striking figures, but tries to keep his keynote accessible and entertaining at the same time.

    Challenges for our Flemish and Belgian labour market

    In this keynote, Professor Baert proceeds from his metaphor of the iceberg on our Flemish and Belgian labour market. In pursuit of the central ambition in almost all coalition agreements, i.e. to increase the employment rate, the policy focuses on activating a visible peak of job seekers. A much larger labour reserve below the waterline is forgotten: those who are inactive. However, there are many more of them and that is what makes our country different from other countries in this respect. Professor Baert then situates the most current challenges and the solutions he advocates within that metaphor. Depending on the number of hours planned for preparation, he can (to a limited extent) tailor this keynote to the audience present. The keynote is particularly popular with an audience of enterprising, working and saving Flemish individuals with an interest in politics and/or economics. Professor Baert touches on striking figures, but tries to keep his keynote accessible and entertaining at the same time.

    Discrimination in Flanders: 10 years undercover on the Flemish labour market

    Whether it concerns discrimination against people with a migration background, against women, against the over-55s, against people with a functional disability or against LGBTQ people, Professor Baert and his team have carried out research into it. Usually on the basis of so-called practical tests. They sent out more than 25,000 fictitious job applications in countless experiments. In this keynote, Professor Baert introduces his audience to his secrets, shares the most striking results and offers solutions. Depending on the number of hours planned for preparation, he can (to a limited extent) tailor this keynote to the audience present. The keynote appeals in particular to an audience with a sense of and interest in diversity. Professor Baert touches on striking figures, but tries to keep his keynote accessible and entertaining at the same time.

    10 things you can do tomorrow to optimize your work

    For many Flemings, between running from one deadline to the next, staying at the wheel of one's career is a challenge. So to say, to have done that which really makes a difference at the end of the year . And that which one looks back on with satisfaction at the end of one's career. Together with 18 colleagues from different disciplines, Stijn Baert wrote a book that explains how, according to science, you make the best work choices. To get promoted faster. To earn more. To avoid burnout. To telecommute in the most balanced way possible. To keep your head from overflowing during the workday. To leave more work time for what is valuable. In this lecture, he launches 10 surprising tips that can make all the difference.

    What is economics? 10 key concepts to get caught up in

    Many would like to know a bit more about it, without being knocked around with difficult words and graphs. Economics. Economics. Stijn Baert teaches an introductory economics course at UGent and with his commitment to clarity, he is the right person to bring 10 foundations of economics. Low-threshold, but with the feeling that you get an intuition of deeper concepts and thus understand economic things better later on. A refresher for some, a first introduction for others. What is economics? Why is it a science? What determines how expensive a product is? Except for the board game, why is monopoly a bad thing? Are economists really in two schools? Such questions will be answered. If required, Stijn Baert will take some extra preparation time to include questions the organisation would like to have answered.

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