Research

Clear, credible research, built to be used, not only reviewed.

I am Dr Fari Aftab, a Postdoctoral Research Associate and applied economist working at the intersection of work, health, wellbeing, inequality and productivity. My research uses quantitative and qualitative methods to examine how labour market conditions, institutions and social circumstances shape economic outcomes and lived experience.

At Cardiff University, I use large scale survey and panel data, including Understanding Society, to study disability dynamics, job quality, labour market outcomes and work related wellbeing. I also contribute to the Wales Productivity Forum through evidence based resources, public facing blogs and applied research outputs designed for businesses, policymakers and wider audiences.

My wider research agenda includes maternal employment and breastfeeding, immigrant integration and subjective wellbeing, financial wellbeing and identity based inequalities. Across my work, I aim to produce evidence that is rigorous, transparent and useful beyond academia.

Current collaborations include Cardiff University, the University of Surrey, the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, the University of Reading, Northumbria University and the University of Leeds.

Peer reviewed journal articles

Social and economic disparities between immigrants and natives in the UK

Societies | 5 August 2026

Aftab, F., Scheffel, J., & Spencer, D. (2026). Social and Economic Disparities Between Immigrants and Natives in the UK. Societies, 16(8), 256.

https://doi.org/10.3390/soc16080256

Dysfunctional Presenteeism Across UK Regions

Welsh Economic Review | 20 July 2026

Aftab, F., & Jones, M. (2026). Dysfunctional presenteeism across UK regions. Welsh Economic Review, 31(), 15-26. https://doi.org/10.18573/wer.277

https://doi.org/10.18573/wer.277

The well-being gap between immigrants and natives: the role of social integration

Frontiers in Sociology | 19 June 2026

Aftab, F., Scheffel, J. and Spencer, D. (2026) ‘The wellbeing gap between immigrants and natives: the role of social integration’, Frontiers in Sociology, 11.

https://doi.org/10.3389/fsoc.2026.1815828

Subjective Well-Being of Immigrants and Natives During COVID-19: The Mitigating Role of Neighbourhood Embeddedness

Journal of Population Economics | 19 February 2025

Aftab, F., Scheffel, J. and Spencer, D. (2025) ‘The subjective well-being of immigrants and natives during Covid-19’, Journal of Population Economics, 38(1), Article 31.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00148-025-01089-0

Abstract

This study investigates the subjective well-being of immigrants and natives in the United Kingdom (UK) during the Covid-19 pandemic. A novel aspect of this research is that we exploit the quasi-experimental nature of the pandemic to analyse the potential causal impact of neighbourhood embeddedness in mitigating the adverse shock on subjective well-being. We proxy subjective well-being by life satisfaction and consider neighbourly support and psychological sense of community as indicators of neighbourhood embeddedness. The findings show that the pandemic negatively impacted the life satisfaction of immigrants more than that of natives. The analysis demonstrates that high neighbourhood embeddedness had a significant protective impact on the well-being of immigrants, whereas the opposite was observed for natives. Further analysis reveals that the adverse impact for natives can be attributed to their tendency to comply with Covid-19 social distancing rules, while the results for immigrants remain qualitatively consistent irrespective of their compliance or non-compliance behaviour. The overall findings in this research imply that community-based interventions should be aimed at balancing the promotion of social networking with adherence to health guidelines in a way that minimises well-being trade-offs during a health crisis.

The subjective well-being of immigrants and natives during Covid-19

Journal of Population Economics | 19 February 2025

Aftab, F., Scheffel, J. and Spencer, D. (2025) ‘The subjective well-being of immigrants and natives during Covid-19’, Journal of Population Economics, 38(1), Article 31.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00148-025-01089-0

Manuscripts near completion and research in progress

Jones, M. and Aftab, F. ‘Disability and Job Quality in the UK’, manuscript near completion.

Aftab, F. and Mpofu Coles, A. ‘Breastfeeding Support, Trust and Cultural Responsiveness among Lower Socio Economic and Ethnic Minority Mothers in the UK’, manuscript near completion.

Aftab, F. and Mpofu Coles, A. ‘Breastfeeding after Return to Work: Childcare, Workplace Accommodation and Inequality’, manuscript near completion.

Z. Aftab and Aftab, F. ‘Financial Outcome Disparities Across Identity Groups in the UK’, research in progress.

Aftab, F. ‘Public Attitudes towards Breastfeeding after Return to Work in Britain’, research in progress.

Research reports

Maternal Wellbeing, Infant Feeding and Return to Paid Work

Jewell, S., Aftab, F., Della Giusta, M., James, G., Jaworska, S. and Rawlings, S. (2025a) Maternal Wellbeing Infant Feeding and Return to Paid Work Technical Report 1: UKHLS.
Access: https://research.reading.ac.uk/accommodating-diversity-in-the-workplace/current-projects/maternal-well-being-infant-feeding-and-return-to-paid-work-decisions/outputs/

Jewell, S., Aftab, F., Della Giusta, M., James, G., Jaworska, S. and Rawlings, S. (2025b) Maternal Wellbeing Infant Feeding and Return to Paid Work Technical Report 2: Attitudes Surveys.
Access: https://research.reading.ac.uk/accommodating-diversity-in-the-workplace/current-projects/maternal-well-being-infant-feeding-and-return-to-paid-work-decisions/outputs/

Jewell, S., Aftab, F., Della Giusta, M., James, G., Jaworska, S. and Rawlings, S. (2025c) Maternal Wellbeing Infant Feeding and Return to Paid Work Technical Report 3: Maternal Experiences Survey.
Access: https://research.reading.ac.uk/accommodating-diversity-in-the-workplace/current-projects/maternal-well-being-infant-feeding-and-return-to-paid-work-decisions/outputs/

Jewell, S., Aftab, F., Della Giusta, M., James, G., Jaworska, S. and Rawlings, S. (2025d) Maternal Wellbeing Infant Feeding and Return to Paid Work Technical Report 4: Maternal Experiences Interviews.
Access: https://research.reading.ac.uk/accommodating-diversity-in-the-workplace/current-projects/maternal-well-being-infant-feeding-and-return-to-paid-work-decisions/outputs/

Jewell, S., Aftab, F., Della Giusta, M., James, G., Jaworska, S. and Rawlings, S. (2025e) Maternal Wellbeing Infant Feeding and Return to Paid Work Technical Report 5: HR and Line Manager Surveys.
Access: https://research.reading.ac.uk/accommodating-diversity-in-the-workplace/current-projects/maternal-well-being-infant-feeding-and-return-to-paid-work-decisions/outputs/

Conference Presentations

I have actively engaged with the academic community, presenting my research at prestigious conferences and seminars:

Wales Productivity Forum all members meeting, Cardiff University, UK, (2025)

European Association of Labour Economists (EALE) Conference (2024)
Presented insights into maternal well-being and workforce re-entry, focusing on the heterogeneity of experiences among mothers in the UK.

University of Reading, Economics summer conference, UK (2024).

Shared preliminary findings for the Return to work and Infant feeding decisions research.

Understanding Society Scientific Conference, Essex, UK (2023)
Shared findings on subjective well-being during COVID-19, exploring the role of neighbourhood embeddedness.

University of Leeds, LUBS Seminar Series (2022)
Discussed preliminary findings on infant feeding choices and occupational demands in shaping maternal well-being.

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