Dr Fari Aftab

I am an applied economist and researcher specialising in labour economics, wellbeing, inequality, productivity and applied social policy. My work uses quantitative and qualitative methods to examine how economic and institutional conditions shape people’s lives, with particular focus on work, job quality, disability, maternal employment, immigrant integration and financial wellbeing.

I am currently a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University, where I work with the Wales Productivity Forum. My research combines rigorous empirical analysis with policy relevant interpretation, using large scale survey and panel datasets such as Understanding Society, the British Social Attitudes Survey and the Financial Lives Survey.

My academic work has been published in peer reviewed journals including the Journal of Population Economics and Frontiers in Sociology, with further work forthcoming in Welsh Economic Review. My current research pipeline includes papers on disability and job quality, breastfeeding and return to work, workplace constraints, immigrant integration and financial outcome disparities.

Alongside my academic research, I am committed to public engagement and the clear communication of evidence. I have contributed to public facing research outputs including the Wales Productivity Toolkit and the WORKFEED Employer Toolkit, and I regularly write research blogs translating academic and policy debates for wider audiences.

This website brings together my research, teaching, publications, public engagement and professional profile.