Rate My Professor Melanie Jones

Professor Melanie Jones is Professor of Economics and Head of the Economics Section at Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University, positions held since 2015. She earned her PhD in Labour Economics, MSc in Business Economics, and BSc in Economics from Swansea University. Prior to joining Cardiff University, she held academic appointments at the University of Sheffield and Swansea University. Her research specializes in empirical labour economics, involving quantitative analysis of large-scale secondary data to explore policy-relevant topics including gender equality, disability discrimination in earnings, labour market outcomes for those with health conditions, and political participation among disabled individuals.

Jones has an extensive publication record in leading journals. Recent works include 'The disability pay gap in the UK: What is the role of the public sector?' (Labour Economics, 2024), 'The gender pay gap in medicine: Evidence from Britain' (Oxford Economic Papers, 2024), 'Is there a public sector earnings premium in UK healthcare?' (Fiscal Studies, 2024), 'The UK gender pay gap: Does firm size matter?' (Economica, 2023), 'COVID-19 and the labour market outcomes of disabled people in the UK' (Social Science & Medicine, 2022), 'The gender pay gap: what can we learn from Northern Ireland?' (Oxford Economic Papers, 2022), and 'The dynamics of disability and benefit receipt in Britain' (Oxford Economic Papers, 2022). She has also contributed book chapters such as 'Disability and the future of work' in The Handbook for the Future of Work (Routledge, 2024). In leadership and advisory capacities, she is Academic Lead for the Wales Productivity Forum at The Productivity Institute, a member of the Wales Institute for Social and Economic Research and Data (WISERD), IZA Research Fellow, and ONS Fellow. Jones edits the British Journal of Industrial Relations, serves on the Royal Economic Society Council and ESRC Grant Assessment Panel C, and is a member of the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration (DDRB). Previously, she advised the Welsh Government on teachers' pay. Her research has influenced policy on disability equality at work and gender pay gaps.