Economist

Details

About the Team

Our economics team is continuously working to improve our understanding of an AI-driven economy.

About the Role

We are seeking a highly technical Economist to join the OpenAI Economic Research team studying the real-world economic impacts of AI.

This role is designed for economists with up to 5 years of professional experience post-Ph.D. who are interested in using novel, large-scale datasets to study how AI is reshaping economic systems.

We are looking for candidates with deep expertise in at least one core domain relevant to AI’s economic impact, and an interest in contributing to a broader research agenda spanning labor markets, firm behavior, market dynamics, and macroeconomic change.

This is an individual contributor role where the candidate will organize and execute on their own data-oriented projects.

You will work at the intersection of economic research, data science, and public policy to produce rigorous empirical work that informs decision-makers across the public, industry, and government.

Research Areas of Interest

We are particularly interested in candidates with demonstrated expertise in one or more of the following areas:

• Economic Measurement of AI Impact (e.g., adoption trajectories, labor market transitions, productivity growth, and forecasting/scenario modeling for AI-driven economic change)
• Macroeconomic Implications of AI (e.g., productivity, technology diffusion, economic growth)
• AI and the Labor Market (e.g., employment, wages, job search, task-level impacts, skill acquisition)

Applicants are not expected to have experience across all domains. We aim to build a team with complementary strengths across these areas.

Responsibilities

In this role, you will:

• Design and execute empirical research using large-scale observational or experimental data.
• Apply causal inference and/or structural modeling techniques to study AI-driven economic change.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to translate research questions into testable frameworks and applicable takeaways across policy, product, and our organization.
• Produce policy-relevant outputs, including academic papers, technical reports, and briefings.
• Contribute to the development of new measurement approaches for AI’s economic impact.
• Use AI across your responsibilities to scale your research impact.

Requirements

You might thrive in this role if you have:

• A PhD in Economics or a related quantitative field.
• 3–5 years of relevant work experience (industry or policy research).
• Strong background in econometrics and applied microeconomics.
• Demonstrated experience working with large or complex datasets, with demonstrated proficiency in SQL.
• Proficiency in statistical programming (e.g., Python, R).
• Research related to labor economics, industrial organization, macroeconomics, or technological change.
• Experience working with platform, labor market, or firm-level data.
• Familiarity with causal inference, machine learning methods, or structural modeling.

Benefits

In addition to the salary range listed above, total compensation also includes generous equity, performance-related bonus(es) for eligible employees, and the following benefits:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance for you and your family, with employer contributions to Health Savings Accounts
• Pre-tax accounts for Health FSA, Dependent Care FSA, and commuter expenses (parking and transit)
• 401(k) retirement plan with employer match
• Paid parental leave (up to 24 weeks for birth parents and 20 weeks for non-birthing parents), plus paid medical and caregiver leave (up to 8 weeks)
• Paid time off: flexible PTO for exempt employees and up to 15 days annually for non-exempt employees
• 13+ paid company holidays, and multiple paid coordinated company office closures throughout the year for focus and recharge, plus paid sick or safe time (1 hour per 30 hours worked, or more, as required by applicable state or local law)
• Mental health and wellness support
• Employer-paid basic life and disability coverage
• Annual learning and development stipend to fuel your professional growth
• Daily meals in our offices, and meal delivery credits as eligible
• Relocation support for eligible employees
• Additional taxable fringe benefits, such as charitable donation matching and wellness stipends, may also be provided.

More details about our benefits are available to candidates during the hiring process.