Stephen Blumenfeld

Dr. Stephen Blumenfeld is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Management, Victoria University of Wellington, where he has taught since January 1999. He serves as Director of the Centre for Labour, Employment and Work (formerly Industrial Relations Centre) since March 2009, presenting annually to employment relations practitioners on wages and conditions throughout New Zealand.

Dr. Blumenfeld holds the following academic qualifications:

• PhD from University of Illinois, United States
• AM from University of Illinois, United States
• MA from University of Wisconsin–Madison, United States
• BS from Carroll University, Waukesha, United States

His research focuses on employment relations and labor economics, with expertise in collective bargaining, trade unions, employment law, and labor policy. His work extends internationally to examine employment regulation in global commodity chains and investigate decent work, job quality, and precarious working arrangements. Recent scholarship includes studies of labor NGOs in China and methodological approaches to workplace research, bridging academic theory with practical applications for employment relations practitioners.

Dr. Blumenfeld actively supervises doctoral students researching hybrid working models and teleworker wellbeing, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic. He has secured external funding from the Public Service Association, Public Service Commission, and Port of Napier Ltd for projects on workplace dynamics and pay equity assessment tools. As an Associate Editor of Labour Industry and member of the New Zealand Journal of Employment Relations editorial board, he contributes significantly to the scholarly discourse in his field.