Jennifer Hunt

Jennifer Hunt is a Professor of Economics at Rutgers University, specializing in labor market analysis with a particular focus on immigration economics. She maintains an affiliation as a DIW Fellow with the German Socio-Economic Panel study at the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin).

Education:

• Ph.D. in Economics, Harvard University
• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Professor Hunt has established herself as a leading researcher in labor economics, with particular expertise in immigration effects on labor markets, wage inequality, and innovation. Her work spans multiple continents and addresses both developed and developing economies. She has conducted significant research on the German labor market, particularly during the post-reunification transition period in East Germany. Her current research focuses on the geographic spread of technology, immigration and wage inequality, while her past research has encompassed unemployment, the science and engineering workforce, the transition from communism, crime and corruption.

Her publication record demonstrates consistent high-impact research across several major economic journals. Hunt's work shows particular strength in analyzing how immigration affects innovation through patenting activity, why women disproportionately leave engineering fields, wage inequality dynamics, and the economic transition in East Germany. Her research methodology typically combines rigorous empirical analysis with careful consideration of policy implications.

Professor Hunt has held significant government positions, serving as Chief Economist of the U.S. Department of Labor (2013-2014) and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Microeconomic Analysis at the U.S. Department of the Treasury (2014-2015). Prior to joining Rutgers in 2011, she held academic positions at McGill University, the University of Montreal, and Yale University.

Her work has gained international recognition, as evidenced by her recent interview with Dagens Nyheter (Swedish newspaper) where she discussed her research findings that "the entire economy benefits from immigration" and that "it is an advantage if migrants have low education."