Digit PhD studentship in Economics

The Impact of Digital Transformation on Skills, Wages, and Career Trajectories in the United Kingdom (ESRC Centre for Digital Futures at Work PhD Studentship) (2026)

What you get

Full UK tuition fees only, for up to four years. This studentship can only cover Home Student fees and is therefore open to UK students (or those with indefinite leave to remain/settled status in the UK) who can demonstrate eligibility for ‘home’ fees.

A stipend equivalent to UKRI doctoral stipend, £21,383 (2026/27) per annum for up to four years.

Type of award

Postgraduate Research

PhD project

The Impact of Digital Transformation on Skills, Wages, and Career Trajectories in the United Kingdom

Supervisors at Sussex: Prof Richard Dickens and Dr Wenchao Jin (Economics).

This project investigates how the diffusion of advanced digital technologies is reshaping the UK labour market.  Employers often emphasise that a shortage of workers with the requisite digital skills can hinder the adoption of advanced digital technology and constrain productivity growth.  Yet even as employers report persistent hiring difficulties, educational attainment has risen and young graduates are facing an increasingly tough labour market.

Against this backdrop, the research examines how patterns of technology adoption, skill demand, and wage outcomes are evolving across the United Kingdom.  Drawing on a range of quantitative and administrative data sources, including the Digit Employers’ Survey, the project will analyse how the spread of advanced digital technologies alters the demand for specific skills and competencies, and how this influences individual wage trajectories and career progression.  Comparative analyses across sectors and regions may further explore how variations in industrial structure, workforce composition, and access to skills development drive divergent outcomes across labour markets and contribute to disparities in employment and pay.  

We invite research proposals that aim to investigate the impacts of digital technology adoption on labour markets, falling within the scope of the project described above. This scholarship offers an opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge research in labour economics and to engage with key debates on the future of work.   The research student will be part of the Digit Doctoral Network and will benefit from support from the Business School’s early-career researcher networks.  They will receive outstanding postgraduate research training as part of the SEDarc programme and will be integrated into the Mid- and early-Career Researchers Forum of Digit.  The studentship provides additional opportunities for advanced training in quantitative research methods and for engagement with policymakers concerned with labour-market policy.

Eligibility

The studentship is open only to those who meet UK (‘home’) tuition fee requirements, not international fees.

Minimum of a 2.1 undergraduate honours degree.

Master’s degree in economics or a related subject (or studying for this) with ideally at least a merit mark (60%),, or non-UK equivalent.

Proof of proficiency in English language to meet the university’s entry requirements.

We require a 2.1 undergraduate honours degree, or equivalent, and a Master’s degree in economics. This studentship can only cover Home Student fees and is therefore open to UK students (or those with indefinite leave to remain/settled status in the UK) who meet the criteria for Home Student fees. Overseas (including EU) fees are not covered by this studentship.

Number of scholarships available

One.

Deadline

How to apply

Please submit by email to Professor Richard Dickens at R.F.Dickens@sussex.ac.uk and as one pdf file an application including:

A statement of interest that outlines why you would like to be considered for this studentship project (maximum 1 page)

An outline proposal setting out what you would like to research (1-2 pages)

A CV (2-3 pages)

Degree transcripts and certificates

A piece of written work (e.g. an essay or project from your undergraduate or master’s degree)

Names and contact details for two academic referees

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to interview. The successful candidate will then need to apply for the PhD programme at the University of Sussex.

Sponsors

University of Sussex and ESRC

Contact us

For any enquiries about the PhD studentship research proposal, please contact Professor Richard Dickens (R.F.Dickens@sussex.ac.uk).

For questions relating to the application process, contact business-researchstudents@sussex.ac.uk.