Esther Mirjam Girsberger

Esther Mirjam Girsberger is a Senior Lecturer in the Economics Discipline Group at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS Business School). She holds a PhD in Economics from the European University Institute (2015) and was a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Lausanne (2014–2018). Her research focuses on labor and development economics, emphasizing public policy impacts on labor markets, migration, education decisions, and gender equality. Notable work includes evaluations of maternity leave policies and analysis of skilled labor dynamics in high-income and West African contexts.

• Grants: ARC DECRA (2025–2028), STEG grants, Swiss National Science Foundation
• Affiliations: Research Fellow at IZA Institute of Labor Economics
• Publications: Labour Economics, Journal of Comparative Economics, Applied Economics

Her current research investigates labor market expectations and migration patterns of young graduates in West Africa. Recent work highlights the economic benefits of earnings-linked maternity leave policies, drawing insights from Switzerland. She has been recognized with the DECRA award for this innovative research trajectory.