Brad J. Hershbein

Brad Hershbein is a senior economist and deputy director of research at the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research. He also serves as a communications advisor at the Institute and as a non-resident fellow in Economic Studies at the Brookings Institution.

His research focuses on the transition between education and career and how employers hire and compensate workers. His work spans higher education access and completion, the long-term effects of recessions on places and employer skill demands, and measuring both employer market power and nontraditional work activities such as contracting and outsourcing. His work has appeared in several leading academic journals and has been covered by the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and other national outlets. He earned his BA in economics from Harvard College, and his PhD, also in economics, from the University of Michigan. Before graduate school, he worked at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.

Research Highlights

Percentage of independent contractors doubles previous estimates: ASSA research focus

December 18, 2023 · Research Highlight
Research finds independent contractor workforce twice as big as previously thought

Upjohn Institute participates in 2024 ASSA conference in San Antonio

December 18, 2023 · Research Highlight
Upjohn staff present research each day of the conference

A Letter from Our Directors 

December 12, 2022 · Research Highlight

Upjohn Institute participates in 2022 APPAM Fall Research Conference

November 14, 2022 · Research Highlight
Follow conference coverage on Twitter and Mastodon at #2022APPAM

Upjohn Institute staff presenting at 2022 ASSA conference

January 6, 2022 · Research Highlight
The conference was held remotely Jan. 7-9

Report helps policymakers turn economic upheaval into opportunity

August 16, 2021 · Research Highlight
A Moment of Opportunity: Strategies for Inclusive Economic Growth

Tuition-free scholarships may blunt effects of recession, but not everyone benefits equally

April 30, 2021 · Research Highlight
Pandemic recession brought drops in enrollment. Photo: Allison Shelley/EDUimages

Promise scholarships get graduates into good jobs—if the jobs are there

April 22, 2021 · Research Highlight
Research shows graduates may move away if there aren't enough good job opportunities nearby. Photo by Allison Shelley/The Verbatim Agency for EDUimages

Pandemic restrictions and shutdowns don't have lasting effect on jobs, new research finds

February 15, 2021 · Research Highlight
Restrictions reduce employment while they're in place but deaths from the virus have a lasting drag on employment.