Niklas Mäkinen

Niklas Mäkinen is a Researcher in the Unit of Social Research and a Doctoral Researcher in the Doctoral Programme in Social Sciences at the University of Helsinki. His work focuses on social policy, labor economics, and welfare systems, contributing to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to poverty reduction and social inclusion.

His research interests include benefit sanctions, undeclared work, low-wage labor markets, and social security reforms. Notable studies examine the impacts of policy changes on housing allowances and wage subsidies for employers. He has collaborated on datasets about public employment services in Finland, published in journals like Sosiaalilääketieteellinen aikakauslehti and SAGE OPEN.

Mäkinen has presented at academic conferences on topics such as welfare reform, employment barriers, and gender differences in unregistered employment. His work emphasizes evidence-based policy analysis to address challenges in social security and labor markets.