Institute for Research on Labor & Employment

What Institute for Research on Labor & Employment does

The Institute for Research on Labor & Employment (IRLE) is a nonprofit academic research institute at the University of California, Berkeley, founded in 1945 by economist Clark Kerr and currently directed by Steven Raphael (as of 2025). It houses six research centers covering labor markets, employment policy, occupational health, migration, urban and regional development, and — most recently — climate and society. The institute produces empirical and policy-oriented research through academic publications, policy reports, and commissioned studies, and operates the California Policy Lab as a flagship center specializing in administrative-data-driven quasi-experimental research on labor and public policy questions.

IRLE's core products are research outputs (peer-reviewed studies, working papers, policy briefs, commissioned reports) and data-linking analytic infrastructure rather than commercialized products. Its research has materially shaped California state policy, including empirical contributions to SB-1137 (oil and gas well setback law, 2022) and AB-1228 (fast food minimum wage law). The institute is structurally a unit of UC Berkeley and has no commercial sales motion, technology product, or proprietary software offering.

IRLE's business model is that of a university-affiliated nonprofit: funding arrives through UC Berkeley allocations, competitive federal and state research grants, philanthropic endowments, and donations. There is no commercial pricing model, sales force, or paying customer base in the conventional sense. Its constituent stakeholders are California state policymakers, labor unions and worker advocacy organizations, faculty and graduate students, peer academic institutions, and — increasingly under the Climate and Society Center — environmental justice groups such as the California Environmental Justice Alliance (CEJA), Communities for a Better Environment (CBE), and the Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN).

Name

Institute for Research on Labor & Employment

Legal name

Institute for Research on Labor and Employment

Website

https://irle.berkeley.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1945

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Institute for Research on Labor & Employment is a UC Berkeley academic research institute founded in 1945 that operates six research centers producing empirical labor, employment policy, and climate-society research for California policymakers, labor organizations, and advocacy groups.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Research Institute

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Research Administration & Compliance (Sponsored Programs, IRB/REB) (EDADAKAH)

Keywords

• Labor economics research
• Employment policy analysis
• Workforce research institute
• Climate policy research
• Academic policy research

Headquarters

HQ city

Berkeley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Research Grants and Endowments: IRLE receives funding through university allocations, research grants, and endowment gifts. The Climate and Society Center was launched with support from a generous endowment gift. Donations support student programs and fellowships, as well as research awards for UC Berkeley faculty.
2. Donations and Support: Individual donations support student programs, fellowships, and faculty research awards. The institute accepts donations through UC Berkeley's giving platform.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

IRLE is an interdisciplinary academic research institute at UC Berkeley that conducts independent research on labor economics, employment dynamics, climate policy, wage policy, and child care employment through six specialized research centers. It publishes working papers, policy briefs, scholarly publications, and a peer-reviewed journal, and supports UC Berkeley faculty and students through research awards, fellowships, and pre-doctoral programs.

Product overview

IRLE is an interdisciplinary institute at UC Berkeley that functions as a research organization with multiple specialized research centers and publication series. The portfolio includes six research centers (Labor Center, California Policy Lab, Climate and Society Center, Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, Center on Wage and Employment Dynamics, and Macro Labor Center) that conduct research on pressing labor and employment issues. These centers produce publications including working papers, policy briefs, scholarly publications, and the peer-reviewed Industrial Relations journal. The institute also supports students through graduate research awards, dissertation fellowships, and predoc programs, and provides faculty resources including research awards and a visiting scholars program. The research spans minimum wage policy, climate justice, child care employment, labor market dynamics, and broader economic policy analysis.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Labor Center IRLE research center conducting research on jobs in the green economy, retirement security, low-wage employment, and effects of the Affordable Care Act on California working families; also provides education and leadership training for emerging labor leaders.
• California Policy Lab (CPL) IRLE research center that partners with California government agencies to generate research insights and build data infrastructure across education, criminal justice, poverty, labor, health, and homelessness.
• Climate and Society Center IRLE research center that brings together UC Berkeley faculty and California climate justice advocates and lawmakers to undertake research on policies supporting the state's transition to renewable energy and zero-carbon emissions for all communities.
• Center for the Study of Child Care Employment (CSCCE) IRLE research center that has served as a national leader in early care and education workforce research and policy since 1999, operating on the premise that educators should be valued, respected, and guaranteed economic dignity.
• Center on Wage and Employment Dynamics (CWED) IRLE research center, established in 2007, nationally recognized for research on minimum and subminimum wage policies, effects of the Great Recession, public sector workers, low-wage labor markets, and teacher pay.
• Macro Labor Center IRLE research center that serves as a hub for research at the intersections of labor economics and macroeconomics, focused on aggregate labor markets and the workings of labor market policies and institutions.
• Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society

Quantifiable outcome

• Research demonstrated that California's $20/hour fast food minimum wage did not reduce employment and led to only 1.5% average price increase, with wages for covered workers increasing by approximately 11%.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• California Environmental Justice Alliance (CEJA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSC coordinators work with CEJA to provide data-driven analysis of legislation related to economic and health impacts of key climate policies.
• Communities for a Better Environment (CBE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSC collaborates with CBE on climate policy research and analysis to support environmental justice advocacy.
• Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPEN partners with CSC on community-engaged research related to climate justice and environmental health impacts.
• Center for Biological Diversity (CBD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCBD collaborates with CSC on research addressing environmental impacts and policy analysis.
• Physicians for Social ResponsibilitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSC works with Physicians for Social Responsibility on health impact analysis of climate policies.
• 350 Bay AreacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner350 Bay Area partners with CSC on climate policy research and legislative advocacy. CSC coordinator Clair Brown co-chaired the 350 Bay Area Action Legislative team for five years.
• Fossil Free CaliforniacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSC researchers worked with Fossil Free California to evaluate financial risk of state pension funds investing in fossil fuel assets and helped draft divestment legislation.
• Sierra ClubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSC collaborates with Sierra Club on climate policy analysis. Clair Brown worked with the Sierra Club Bay Area Chapter to successfully push the Richmond City Council to pass a City Ordinance eliminating coal export handling.
• EarthJusticecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSC works with EarthJustice on critiques of transportation analyses and analyses of health and economic costs of oil and gas wells.
• UC Berkeley Faculty NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSC brings together UC Berkeley faculty across multiple disciplines including economics, public health, sociology, city planning, and engineering to conduct climate equity research.
• State of California Government AgenciescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSC researchers provide analysis to state agencies including CalGEM, CARB, BAAQMD, CalEPA, and OEHHA on climate and environmental policies.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER): Premier academic economics research organization producing working papers and policy studies across labor, macro, and applied economics. Comparable in academic-policy research orientation and labor research depth.
• RAND Corporation: Large, established policy research institution with broad coverage including labor, education, and social policy. Comparable in research-policy interface but much larger and more diversified than IRLE.
• Brookings Institution: Major think tank producing policy research across economics, labor, and social policy. Comparable in delivering evidence-based research to policymakers, though operates at a much broader scale than IRLE.
• Center for American Progress: Public policy research and advocacy organization with significant labor and economic policy work. Comparable in bridging research and policy advocacy, but with broader ideological and policy agenda than IRLE.
• Urban Institute: Nonprofit research organization focused on social and economic policy including labor, housing, and health. Comparable evidence-to-policy model serving government and community stakeholders.

Direct peers

• Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR): Independent policy research center focused on labor, macroeconomic policy, and inequality. Directly comparable to IRLE's labor economics and policy research focus.
• W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research: Nonprofit research institute dedicated to labor economics, wage, and employment research. Directly comparable to IRLE in research mission and policy-focused academic output.
• Economic Policy Institute: Independent nonprofit think tank focused on labor economics, wage policy, and inequality. Closely comparable to IRLE in mission, research output, and policy advocacy on labor and employment issues.
• Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR): University-based policy research institute focused on economic policy including labor markets. Closely comparable to IRLE as an academic-anchored economic policy research center.

Emerging players

• UC Berkeley Labor Center: Actually a sister center within IRLE rather than a peer; included as the closest internal comparable for division-level scale, mission, and target audience for labor research and policy translation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/IRLEUCB
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/irleucb

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Institute for Research on Labor & Employment