The Competition and Markets Authority is undergoing an exciting expansion with the establishment of new offices and a Microeconomics Unit in Darlington. We are seeking Economic Researchers to join our growing team.

The Microeconomics Unit leads the CMA’s economic research programme, set out in its Economic Research Strategy. The Unit provides analysis and expertise on the issues of UK competition, consumer rights, supply-side reforms, innovation and productivity. The ambition is for the Unit to become a microeconomic sibling for the Bank of England’s well-established public macroeconomic role.

You will be responsible for carrying out and supervising quantitative analysis across a variety of research projects. This will include identifying key open research questions, designing and conducting analysis, drawing conclusions and presenting them to colleagues and decision makers.

Projects that you may work on in the Microeconomics Unit include:

Assessing how well competition is working in the UK, through the regular State of Competition report.

Empirical research into live issues in competition policy and structural reforms aimed at improving UK productivity – such as the nature and extent of employer market power in labour markets.

Quantifying benefits the CMA generates for consumers in the annual Positive Impact report and looking for ways to improve how we measure the CMA’s impact.

The CMA’s ongoing programme of ex-post studies into past competition policy interventions.

Your key responsibilities will include:

Working with the Assistant Directors of Economics and Econometrics to determine the key areas for investigation and the quantitative analysis required to assess them.

Planning and managing the delivery of quantitative economic analysis across several long-term and short-term research projects.

Contributing to the management and intellectual development of the team of professional economists and the CMA’s Darlington office.

We are looking for keen, enthusiastic economists with experience of carrying out theoretical or empirical microeconomic analysis, with a preference for experience in industrial organisation, corporate finance, trade or the economics of innovation and productivity.

The CMA prides itself on being a great place to work and strives to ensure that staff can grow and develop their skills. As well as being in a hugely rewarding, diverse and stimulating environment, you will have an opportunity to work for the public good whilst stretching and developing yourself in doing so.

All CMA staff enjoy generous benefits, including an excellent pension scheme, at least 25 days’ leave (increasing to 30 over five years), flexible working options, and generous maternity/paternity leave provision. You can also take advantage of interest-free season ticket loans, a cycle to work scheme and our employee well-assistance programme.

To find out more about this opportunity and working for the CMA please click the apply button.

Closing date for completed applications: 11.55pm on Monday 15th January 2024.

Please visit our economist LinkedIn page. Please also have a read of our blog to learn more about being an Economist at the CMA.

The CMA, like many other organisations, operate a hybrid working model with a mix of office and home working. We believe this supports us to deliver our best work while allowing the flexibility to maintain balanced and healthy lives.

The CMA are an accredited Disability Confident Employer, and we are an equal opportunities employer, welcoming suitably qualified applicants from all backgrounds.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles.