Established in March 2008, the Center for Human Capital and Labor Market Research (CHLR) at the Central University of Finance and Economics (CUFE) is an integral part of the Advantageous Program Platform in Economics and Public Policy at the CUFE. It is an international research center for the study of human resources, labor markets, and their impact on economic development, focusing on China and related economies.

The CHLR has master’s, doctoral and post-doctoral programs. We are grateful to our advisory board.Current member of the advisory board is Nobel Laureate James Heckman. The late Professor Kenneth J. Arrow, Nobel Laureate, and the late Professor Dale W. Jorgenson, the Samuel W. Morris University Professor at Harvard University and founder of the income-based method for measuring human capital, were on the former Advisory Board.

The major research areas in the Center include but are not limited to human capital and skill measurement, human capital investment, human capital mobility, human capital and innovation, and health economics.

All faculty and research fellows of the CHLR hold a Ph.D. degree in economics from major universities in North America and Europe, and some are senior professors at U.S. universities. Currently the Center has 7 full-time faculty members, 7 special-term professors, and 5 senior research fellows.

The Center’s graduate programs are internationally oriented. The curriculum and instruction are rigorously designed following research universities in North America. All courses are taught in English. As of September 2024, 1 post-doctoral student, 14 doctoral students and 171 master students have graduated. Currently, the Center has 51 students, with 46 master students and 5 doctoral students.