The Understanding Precarity in BC (UP-BC) Partnership is a SSHRC-funded project that started in the spring of 2022, co-directed by Dr. Kendra Strauss (SFU) and Iglika Ivanova, Senior Economist at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) BC Office. It brings together a team of academic and community organization partners to investigate multi-dimensional precarity in BC.
As part of UP-BC Partnership, we have conducted a large, province-wide survey (the BC Precarity Survey) to collect new evidence on the scale and impacts of precarious employment in British Columbia.
We are seeking a Research Assistant with expertise in data analysis/visualization and a strong familiarity with the software Stata to assist with the analysis of the data from Wave 1 of the BC Precarity Survey. A report on the key findings from the pilot wave of the BC Precarity Survey can be found here.
This role offers an exceptional opportunity for an early-career PhD student focused on labour market issues. The extensive and unique data collected provides a rich foundation for those looking to develop empirical research for their thesis or other academic work. We are also open to collaborating on co-authored papers with the Research Assistant, particularly if they bring original insights and innovative ideas that could lead to new projects beyond the scope of the current role. Additionally, we will be conducting two further surveys as part of the project, providing the Research Assistant with the opportunity to contribute to these phases and utilize the new data for their own research over the next three years.
Qualifications, Experience, and Skills:
- Graduate degree (MA or PhD) in a relevant field (e.g., Social Sciences, Statistics, Data Science, Public Health, etc.). Current PhD students, and MA students who are near completion, are welcome to apply.
- Experience using Stata for data visualization and data analysis.
- Excellent analytical and interpretive skills, attention to detail, and ability to draw accurate conclusions from datasets.
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team, managing multiple tasks and deadlines efficiently.
- Highly motivated to develop their data analysis skills and learn new techniques.
- Prior research experience with survey data analysis and data visualization is preferred.
- Prior knowledge and research experience in the areas related to the labour market, especially precarious employment or multi-dimensional precarity in the labour market are assets.
- Solid communication skills and interest in contributing to report writing are assets.
Duties and Responsibilities:
The main responsibilities of the Research Assistant include:
- Cleaning and organizing the survey data collected (already completed for this survey wave).
- Visualizing and analyzing the collected data to better understand and communicate various dimensions of precarious employment in BC (to get a better idea, see the report published based on the pilot survey).
- Comparing data and results between the pilot survey and Wave 1.
- Assisting in data interpretation, presentations and report writing, providing meaningful insights based on the analysis results.
- Co-authoring public-facing outputs based on the findings (e.g., a report, policy brief(s) or blog post(s)). There may also be opportunities to co-author an academic publication based on the RA’s interest and experience.
This fully remote position will start on October 15, 2024, or as soon as possible, and will be for 12 months, with the possibility of renewal to assist with the future surveys we plan to conduct. It requires a commitment of 15 hours per week. Hourly rate is $31-34/hour commensurate with experience. The position is funded through the SSHRC Partnership Grant Understanding Precarity in BC (UP-BC), hosted at SFU, and will be jointly supervised by Dr. Mohsen Javdani (Associate Professor of Economics, SFU School of Public Policy) and Iglika Ivanova (Senior Economist, CCPA-BC).
How to apply:
To apply for this position, please email the following documents to Dr. Mohsen Javdani (Associate Professor of Economics in the School of Public Policy at SFU) at mjavdani [at] sfu.ca:
- Your updated resume/CV
- A one-page cover letter highlighting your relevant experience and skills
- Name and contact information of one reference who can speak to your experience and skills
- In the subject line of the email, indicate the following information in order specified:
UP-BC Data Analysis RA Position – Applicant Name.
Deadline:
Complete applications will be reviewed starting October 1st, and will continue until the position is filled.
