Lena Hensvik, Professor

Uppsala University

P.O. Box 513

SE-751 20, Uppsala

E-mail: Lena.Hensvik@nek.uu.se

EDUCATION

2016 Docent in Economics at Uppsala University

2011 Ph.D. in Economics, Uppsala University

Dissertation: “The Effects of Markets, Managers and Peers on Worker Outcomes”

ACADEMIC POSITIONS

Professor, Economics Department, Uppsala University                       current

Director, Uppsala Center for Labor Studies (UCLS)                       current

Research affiliate, Center for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)        current

Associate Professor, Institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy   2011-2019

Visiting Researcher, Stockholm School of Economics                        Spring 2018

Visiting Scholar, Stanford Institute for Policy Research, Stanford University   2010-2011

Visiting Student, Department of Economics, Harvard University         2008-2009

ON MATERNITY LEAVE: Jan 2014-Jan 2015, Feb 2019-Jan 2020

PUBLISHED AND FORTHCOMING WORK

Grönqvist E, Hensvik L, Yoko Okuyama and A Thoresson (2025) “Women’s Labor Market Oportunities ad Equality in the Household”, forthcoming at Journal of Public Economics

Hensvik L. and O. Nordström Skans (2022), ”The Skill-Specific Impact of Past and Projected Occupational Decline”, Labour Economics 81:102326.

Adermon, A. and Hensvik. L. (2022), "Gig-jobs: stepping stones or dead ends?", Labour Economics, 76:102171.

Azmat, G., Hensvik, L. and Rosenqvist, O. (2022) “Workplace Preseenteism, Job Substitutability and Gender Inequality”, Journal of Human Resources, 1121-12014R2.

Hensvik L., D. Müller and ON Skans, (2022) "Connecting the Young: High School Graduates' Matching to First jobs in Booms and Great Recessions", Economic Journal, 133.652 (2023): 1466-1509.

Eliason M, L Hensvik, F Kramarz and O N Skans, (2022) "Social Connections and the Sorting of Workers to Firms", Journal of Econometrics. 233.2 (2023): 468-506.

Grönqvist E., Hensvik L. and Thoresson A. (2021) " Teacher Career Opportunities and School Quality", Labour Economics 2021:101997.

Le Barbanchon T., Hensvik L., and Rathelot, R. (2020) "Job Search During the COVID-19 Crisis", IZA DP No. 13237, Journal of Public Economics 194 (2021): 104349.

Awarded the Swedish JobTech Prize 2023

Fredriksson P., L. Hensvik and O. Nordström Skans, (2018) “Mismatch of Talent? Evidence on Match Quality, Job Mobility and Entry Wages”, American Economic Review, vol 108, No. 11, November.

Hensvik L., and O. Rosenqvist, (2018) “Keeping the Production Line Running: Internal Substitution and Employee Absence”, forthcoming in Journal of Human Resources.

Hensvik L. and O. Nordström Skans (2016),”Social Networks, Employee Selection and Labor Market Outcomes”, Journal of Labor Economics, 34(4), 34(4): 825–867.

Awarded the H. Gregg Lewis Prize for the best paper published in Journal of Labor Economics during 2016 and 2017.

Hensvik L. (2014),“Manager Impartiality? Worker-Firm Matching and the Gender Wage Gap”, Industrial and Labor Relations Review, Vol. 67, No. 2, April.

Åslund, O, L. Hensvik and O. Nordström Skans (2014), “Seeking Similarity: How Immigrants and Natives Manage at the Labor Market”, Journal of Labor Economics, Vol. 32, No. 3, July.

Hensvik L. and O. Nordström Skans, (2014), “Networks and Youth Labor Market Entry”, Nordic Economic Policy Review, Issue 1 pp. 81-117.

Hensvik L (2012), “Competition, Wages and Teacher Sorting: Lessons Learned from a Voucher Reform”, Economic Journal, Vol. 122, Issue 561, pp.799-824.

Awarded the 2012 CESifo Prize in Employment and Social protection.

WORKING PAPERS AND MANUSCRIPTS

Brouard M, Le Barbanchon T, Hensvik L and R Rathelot (2025) “How do Migrants and Natives Search for Jobs”, mimeo

Costa-Ramon A, Hensvik L, Rodriguez-Gonzales A and A Thoresson (2025) “The Gender Glass Cliff”, mimeo

Le Barbanchon T, Hensvik L and R Rathelot (2025)  “How can AI improve search and matching? Evidence from 59 million personalized job recommendations”

Ek S., Fredriksson P., Hensvik L. and O. Skans (2025)”Outside options and the sharing of match-specific rents”, IFAU Working paper 2025:17 (R&R Journal of Labor Economics)

Gülümser D., Fredriksson P and L Hensvik (2025) ”Outside Job Opportunities and the Gender Pay Gap”, CEPR Discussion Paper 20638

Hensvik L and P. Nilsson (2025) “What Happened when Discrimination in Academia Becomes Salient?”, CEPR Discussion Paper 20210

Eliason M, L Hensvik, F Kramarz and O N Skans, (2017) "The Causal Impact of Social Connections on Firm's Outcomes", IFAU Working Paper 2017:11 .

Nilsson P and Hensvik L, "Businesses, Buddies and Babies: Social Ties and Fertility at Work", IFAU Working Paper 2010:9.

ORIGINAL RESEARCH IN SWEDISH

Nordström Skans, O., Graetz, G., Hensvik L., and O. Åslund (2026) Personalförsörjningen i välfärdssektorn, SNS förlag, Stockholm.

Fredriksson, P., Graetz, L Hensvik and D. Seim (2023) Strukturomvandling på svensk arbetsmarknad: konsekvenser och policyåtgärder, SNS förlag, Stockholm.

Nordström Skans, O., S Eriksson and L Hensvik (2017) Åtgärder för en inkluderande arbetsmarknad – SNS konjunkturrådsrapport 2017, SNS förlag, Stockholm

Forslund, A., L. Hensvik, O. Nordström Skans and A. Westerberg (2014), ”Avtalslöner, löner och sysselsättning”, IFAU Rapport 2014:8.  

Forslund, A., L. Hensvik, O. Nordström Skans and A. Westerberg (2014), ”Kollektivavtalen och ungdomars faktiska begynnelselöner”, IFAU Rapport 2012:19.

Hanspers, K. and L. Hensvik, (2011),“Konkurrens och Sysselsättning – En Empirisk Studie av Fem Marknader”, SOU 2010:93, Bilaga 7 till Långtidsutredningen 2011.

OTHER PUBLICATIONS IN SWEDISH

Eliason M, L Hensvik, F Kramarz and O. Nordström Skans ”Informella kontaktnäts betydelse för arbetssökande och företag på den svenska arbetsmarknaden”, IFAU Rapport 2017:11.

Hensvik, L, D Müller and O Nordström Skans (2017) ”Kontakterna och konjunkturen: jobb under skoltiden och inträdet på arbetsmarknaden” Ekonomisk Debatt, årgång 45, nr 1, s. 44-52.

Hensvik L, O Nordström Skans and O Åslund (2010) ” Sådan chef, sådan anställd? – Rekryteringsmönster hos invandrade och infödda chefer” Ekonomisk Debatt årg. 38, nr.3, s. 39-52.

Hensvik L and O Rosenqvist (2015) “Sjukfrånvaro och anställningar till unika positioner” IFAU Rapport 2015:22.

Fredriksson P, L Hensvik and O Nordström Skans (2015) ”Rätt man på rätt plats? Matchning ingångslöner och separationer” IFAU Rapport 2015:20.

Hensvik L and O Nordström Skans (2013)  ”Kontakter och ungdomars arbetsmarknadsinträde” IFAU Rapport 2013:20.

Hensvik L and O Nordström Skans (2013)  ”Hur arbetslivserfarenhet och nätverk kan förändra avkastningen på förmågor och utbildning” IFAU Rapport 2013:14.

Hensvik L (2012) ”Påverkar chefens kön den anställdes lön?” IFAU Rapport 2011:26.

Hensvik L (2012) ”Leder skolkonkurrens till högre löner? En studie av den svenska friskolereformen” IFAU Rapport 2010:12.

SEMINAR INVITATIONS  (2023-2025)

University of Bonn, UCL, University of Copenhagen, Tinbergen, University Pmpeo Fabra, Autonoma  University of Warwick, Aalto University, Utrecht University, University of Glasgow, IIES

TEACHING

Spring 2021-            Basic Micro Theory, (undergraduate level)

Spring 2016-2017     Management and Analysis of Big Data (PhD level)

Spring 2010-2016     Advanced STATA Course (PhD level)

Fall 2011-                Labor Economics (master’s level)

Fall 2007 and spring 2008     Basic Micro and Macro Theory, TA, (undergraduate level)

STUDENT SUPERVISION

PhD Student Sebastiano Scalco         Main advisor, graduated in 2028

PhD Student Adam Gill                    Main advisor, graduated in 2026

PhD Student Dogan Gulumser           Main advisor, graduated in 2025

PhD Student Ricard Grebol                           Co-advisor, expected to graduate in 2026

PhD student Olle Törnqvist                           Co-advisor, expected to graduate in 2026

PhD Student Tianze Liu                    Co- advisor, expected to graduate in 2024

PhD Student Anna Thoresson            Main advisor, graduated in 2021

PhD Student Vivika Halapuu                    Main advisor, graduated in 2020

PhD Student Erika                        Co-advisor, graduated in 2024

PhD Student Dagmar Müller                     Co-advisor, graduated in 2020

PhD Student Olof Rosenqvist         Co-advisor, graduated in 2016

EDITORIAL EXPERIENCES

2026-   Editorial board, Journal of Human Resources

2020-2023   Editorial board, Labour Economics

2017-2019    Editorial Board, Ekonomisk Debatt

REFEREE ASSIGNMENTS

Quarterly Journal of Economics, Journal of Political Economics, American Economic Review, The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economics and Statistics, Journal of Labor Economics, Economic Journal, Journal of European Economic Association, European Economic Review, Journal of Population Economics, Labour Economics, Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics.

COMMITTE WORK

Director of the Uppsala Center for Labor Studies (2025-)

Member of SNS Konjunkturråd 2026

Member of EALE Executive board (2024-2027)

Member of SNS Scientific Council (2023-)

Member of Arbetsförmedlingens Scientific Council (2023-)

Member of SNS Förtroenderåd (2018-)

Member of Fores Scientific council for migration and integration (2015-)

Member of the Board, Uppsala Center for Labor Studies (regular), (2010-2011)

OTHER ACTIVITIES

Scientific advisor to Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter regarding their "reviews of facts" ("Fakta i frågan") from 2020-.

RESEARCH GRANTS AND REWARDS

Grants:

2027-2030 Grant from the Swedish Research council for the project “Social networks inside and outside the firm” (principal investigator, $ 480,000)

2024-2026 Grant from Forte for the project “The impact of women’s and men’s careers on the family and children” (principal investigator, $ 350,000)

2021-2026 Consolidator grant from the Swedish Research council for the project “Worker-firm matching in the labour market: evidence from online search and realized outcomes” (principal investigator, $ 1,400,000)

2019-2024 Grant from the Swedish Research council for the project “Technological Change and the Labor Market” (co-investigator, $ 1,893,475)

2019-2020 Grant from Forte for the project “Effects of the socioeconomic resource allocation in Swedish schools” (co-investigator, $ 220,000)

2018-2021 Forte Junior Research Grant for the project “Can automatic recommendations improve the job finding rate and the labor market outcomes of Swedish job seekers?” (principal investigator,

$ 616,912)

2017-2019 Forte grant for the project ”How has Sweden's recent education reforms affected the labor market for teachers and the youth labor market entry?” (principal investigator, $ 307,000)

2014-2017 Ragnar Söderberg Projekt i Nationalekonomi for the project “Empirical Studies of the Microfoundations of Macroeconomic Theory” (co-investigator Mikael Carlsson, $1,067,631).

2011    STINT Sweden-Korea Research Program (principal investigator, $21,500)

2011          Wallander scholarship granted to young prominent researchers including full funding for post doctoral research for 3-years ($218,700).

Rewards:

2023 Swedish JobTech Prize for the paper “Job Search During the COVID-19 Crisis”

2018          Best Paper Reward: H. Gregg Lewis Prize for the best paper published in JOLE during 2016 and 2017

2016          Excellence in reviewing for Labour Economics

2012          The CESifo Prize in Employment and Social Protection for the paper “Competition, Wages and Teacher Sorting: Lessons Learned from a Voucher Reform”.

2007    Wallander scholarship for doctoral studies abroad ($50,000).