Rate My Professor Tomas Korpi

Tomas Korpi is Professor at the Swedish Institute for Social Research (SOFI) within the Faculty of Social Sciences at Stockholm University. He holds a PhD in Economics and a PhD in Sociology, both obtained from Stockholm University. In his career, Korpi previously served as Director of Undergraduate Studies for SOFI's program in Labor Relations and Human Resource Management (AKPA). He is a member of the scientific advisory board of the Institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy (IFAU).

Korpi's research centers on processes of mobility and inequality in the labor market, including macro-level phenomena such as industrial restructuring and globalization, micro-level dynamics like the psychology of unemployment and skill mismatch, and the connections between inequality and public policy in areas of education and labor market programs. As principal investigator, he leads several prominent projects, such as 'Sustainable synergies: A comparative perspective on Swedish social policy to develop inclusive programmes for an extended working life' (SUSTAIN, funded by the Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare, Forte, 2023), 'Unions and the Educational Wage Premium: Collective Bargaining and Wage Inequality in the Knowledge Economy' (funded by Riksbankens Jubileumsfond, 2023), TECHNEQUALITY, and 'Providing resources to vulnerable groups'. Korpi maintains an extensive publication record over nearly three decades. Key works include 'From compression to dispersion: How union transformation reconfigures wage inequality in the knowledge economy' (Socio-Economic Review, 2025, with Y.-h. Byun), 'More funding, more students? Student funding policies and tertiary education enrolment ratios in 32 high-participation countries' (Higher Education, 2025, with K. Czarnecki), 'Complementary policy fields in action: Local policies targeted at multi-problem NEETs' (Journal of European Social Policy, 2025, with R. Minas and L. Andersson), 'On-the-job training: A skill match approach to the determinants of lifelong learning' (Industrial Relations Journal, 2021, with M. Tåhlin), 'Educational Mismatch, Wages, and Wage Growth: Overeducation in Sweden, 1974-2000' (Labour Economics, 2009, with M. Tåhlin), 'Globalization and Uncertainty: Earnings and Employment Volatility in Sweden, 1985-2003' (Industrial Relations, 2010, with M. Hällsten and M. Tåhlin), and 'Is Utility related to Employment Status? Employment, Unemployment, Labor Market Policies, and Subjective Well-being among Swedish Youth' (Labour Economics, 1997). His contributions have shaped insights into labor market structures, wage disparities, and policy impacts in Sweden and internationally.