The 2016 Public Lecture was delivered by Professor Philipp Kircher (University of Edinburgh). Kircher has been described as one of 'the UK's young, inspiring economists'.
Kircher discussed the topic: "In Search of the Perfect Match- the economics of picking our partners and jobs". Kircher highlights that Economists have long acknowledged that it takes time to find the right partner. But how can we think about this process? For example, how do employers and employees find each other? Do firms randomly meet workers? Or do they compete for workers? And, what is the difference?
"Finding the right match is important in the labour market – but also in the 'marriage market'. While economics might not always know whom businesses and people desire most, it offers valuable lessons on whom they will eventually be able to get. And while discussion of labour markets typically focuses on unemployment, an important new question has emerged about how many people are in the ‘wrong’ job – jobs that either use too few of their skills or require too much."
