Adele Whelan

Dr Adele Whelan is a Senior Research Officer in the Economic Analysis Division. Her policy research has bridged quantitative and qualitative research methods across a number of core areas including labour market economics, economics of education, programme evaluation, community development and social inclusion. Adele has published research relating to education and skills mismatches across Europe in academic journals such as the Oxford Economic Papers, World Development, B.E Journal of Theoretical Economics, B.E Journal of Economic Analysis and Policy, Studies in Higher Education and the Journal of Education and Work.

Adele obtained her PhD in Economics from Maynooth University in 2014 and has previously held roles as a lecturer in economics at Maynooth University and University College Dublin. Recently, she contributed to a major study of the Further Education and Training in Ireland and a European Commission funded project Strategic Transitions for Youth Labour in Europe (STYLE) examining youth education and skills mismatch.

Her current European-funded projects include the CHAISE project tasked by the European Commission to develop a new skills development strategy to address the lack of talent in blockchain and distributed ledger technologies (DLTs) across Europe and Cowork4YOUTH examining youth employment opportunities in EEA peripheral regions. Her current national programmes of research are related to developments in the Irish labour market and the shifting nature of demand for skills, and also the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic, unemployment, and social disadvantage in Ireland. Furthermore, she regularly contributes to assessments and thematic reports for the European Commission on labour market reform in Ireland.