Economists - Prices and Costs

Join the Prices and Costs Division in the Directorate General Economics as an Economist.

General Information

Type of contract Fixed-term contract, which may be extended subject to individual performance and organisational needs

Who can apply? EU nationals

Closing date 19.05.2026

Your team

The Prices and Costs Division in the Directorate General Economics is seeking candidates for two Economist positions.

Our Directorate General monitors, analyses, models and forecasts economic developments and policies. It also prepares analytical studies, reports, and external communications. Our Division is responsible for analysing and assessing inflationary pressures in the euro area. We also provide input for internal decision-making processes and external communications on the inflation outlook and potential risks, the external and domestic environment, wage and profit developments and expectations. We work closely with briefing and forecast coordination units and with colleagues in other divisions on analysing and forecasting the different dimensions of the euro area economy. We are currently expanding our analytical work at the intersection of artificial intelligence and inflation analysis by applying advanced machine learning techniques to time series data, as well as by using large language models for the analysis of inflation dynamics.

In your role as Economist, you will be part of a team of around 20 experts in forecasting, modelling and assessing inflationary pressures and will work closely with colleagues from across the ECB’s business areas, from national central banks across the Eurosystem and their policy institutions, and from the academic community.

Your role

As an Economist, you will:

• develop analytical tools (in particular using machine learning techniques) and conduct research on inflation and its determinants;
• establish and maintain models of inflation based on macro and micro data for forecasting and analysis;
• contribute to documents, presentations and briefing material for members of the Executive Board, the Governing Council and senior management of the ECB;
• engage and collaborate with colleagues from other divisions and business areas of the ECB, from national central banks, from other international institutions and from academia;
• contribute to the official publications of the ECB, such as the Economic Bulletin, as well as other publications, presentations and speeches.

We actively support professional development for our staff. Besides learning opportunities such as training and mentoring, we encourage and support horizontal mobility after some years in the same position.

These positions offer you excellent opportunities to gain exposure to a large range of issues related to inflation, in terms of both subject matter and policy implications. It will enable you to use your economic and econometric modelling skills and acquire new ones. You will be part of a multicultural team that strives for continuous innovation to make a positive impact on the lives of European citizens.

Qualifications, experience and skills

Essential:

• a master's degree or equivalent in economics or another relevant field;
• in addition to the above, a minimum of four years' professional experience (other than as a trainee or intern) in statistical and econometric techniques for analysing inflation;
• a track record in preparing analysis using applied microeconomics or macroeconomics, leveraging machine learning techniques and/or large language models;
• very good writing skills and the ability to draft well-structured notes to strict deadlines;
• an advanced (C1) command of English and an intermediate (B1) command of at least one other official language of the EU.

Desired:

• a PhD and a research record in economics.

You engage collaboratively with others. You pursue team goals and learn willingly from other people’s diverse perspectives. You signal any need for change by explaining it and proposing alternative solutions. You analyse complex information effectively and can evaluate different views to arrive at solutions. You know and anticipate stakeholder needs.

You are motivated to contribute to the ECB’s mission, to serve the citizens of the EU as a member of a public institution and to work with colleagues from all over Europe.

You are motivated to be part of our team and to develop and use your skills and competencies to achieve the aims of this position.

Working modalities

We would be happy to discuss part-time arrangements for these roles.

Further information

The contracts offered will be fixed-term, the appointments being until 31 December 2027.

Temporary appointments may be extended or made permanent subject to organisational needs and budgetary constraints. This may result in a staff member with a non-convertible fixed-term contract being offered a convertible contract in accordance with the ECB Conditions of Employment.