How to hire an economist research assistant

How to hire an economist research assistant, step by step

Here's a step-by-step economist research assistant hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an economist research assistant job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new economist research assistant
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The economist research assistant hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect economist research assistant also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list presents economist research assistant salaries for various positions.

   Type of Economist Research Assistant	Description	Hourly rate
   Economist Research Assistant	Economists study the production and distribution of resources, goods, and services by collecting and analyzing data, researching trends, and evaluating economic issues.	$38-89
   Agricultural Economist	An agricultural economist works in production and logistics in the farming industry. Their main task is to organize systems to make procedures efficient and cost-effective... Show more	$15-74
   Economic Development Internship	An economic development intern is responsible for supporting an organization's market performance, analyzing trends in the industry, and strategizing techniques to improve business services. Economic development interns perform administrative duties under the supervision of tenured staff and managers... Show more	$12-25

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Research Projects
   • R
   • Macro
   • Statistical Analysis
   • Econometrics
   • Economic Data
   • Financial Markets
   • MATLAB
   • Economic Analysis
   • Academic Papers
   • Regression
   • Financial Analysis
   • Market Research
   • SAS

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Evaluate patients' study eligibility via medical history, obtain informed consent, enroll patients, and achieve enrollment quotas.
   • Prepare documentations/specifications to support the SAS codes for other statistical programmers to follow.
   • Create computer graphic user interfaces that allow Parkinson's patients with deteriorating vocal abilities to strengthen their voices for rehabilitative application.
   • Modele findings using SPSS in poster format.
   • Formulate investment research with a focus on financial companies using DCF and multiples valuation support by quantitative and qualitative analyses.

   More economist research assistant duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your economist research assistant job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. An economist research assistant salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, economist research assistants' average salary in hawaii is 54% less than in new york.
   • Seniority. Entry-level economist research assistants earn 57% less than senior-level economist research assistants.
   • Certifications. An economist research assistant with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in an economist research assistant's salary.

   Average economist research assistant salary

   $122,340yearly

   $58.82 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level economist research assistant salary

   $80,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average economist research assistant salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$142,181	$68
   2	Virginia	$140,264	$67
   3	District of Columbia	$138,842	$67
   4	Montana	$133,636	$64
   5	Georgia	$127,821	$61
   6	Maryland	$126,972	$61
   7	California	$125,049	$60
   8	Ohio	$123,246	$59
   9	Illinois	$122,735	$59
   10	Minnesota	$122,507	$59
   11	Washington	$118,942	$57
   12	Texas	$115,837	$56
   13	North Carolina	$99,264	$48
   14	Massachusetts	$99,046	$48
   15	New Jersey	$94,796	$46
   16	Indiana	$90,808	$44
   17	Alabama	$86,596	$42
   18	Arizona	$75,832	$36

   Average economist research assistant salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	JUUL	$178,982	$86.05
   2	Federal Reserve Bank of Boston	$177,049	$85.12	1
   3	Federal Reserve Bank of New York	$176,236	$84.73
   4	Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis	$169,844	$81.66
   5	Federal Reserve	$168,325	$80.93	4
   6	Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas	$166,231	$79.92
   7	Citi	$161,275	$77.54	5
   8	Federal Reserve Bank	$158,976	$76.43	28
   9	AIG	$147,620	$70.97	1
   10	Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland	$145,457	$69.93
   11	Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond	$142,462	$68.49	11
   12	RTI International Metals	$140,970	$67.77
   13	California Institute of Technology	$140,185	$67.40	3
   14	Economic Policy Institute	$130,269	$62.63
   15	The Brookings Institution	$129,842	$62.42	5
   16	Battelle	$119,330	$57.37	5
   17	California Bank of Commerce	$115,749	$55.65
   18	Precision Health Economics	$113,740	$54.68
   19	FRI Holding Company LLC	$113,399	$54.52
   20	Freddie Mac	$112,514	$54.09

4. Writing an economist research assistant job description

   A good economist research assistant job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of an economist research assistant job description:

   Economist research assistant job description example

   Thank you for your interest in employment with Southeastern Louisiana University.
   
   Southeastern Louisiana University's Office of Economic and Business Development, Business Research Center invites applications for the position of Research Economist. This position will conduct economic base studies, economic impact studies, and other economic research using IMPLAN, REMI, EXCEL, and other computer-based tools; analyze results of studies and write reports; collect and evaluate economic data and create and maintain databases; analyze developments in the Louisiana and national economies; assist in the plan and design of research projects and preparation of research proposals; conduct library and computer literature searches; respond to requests for economic information from the media and general public and write news releases; frequently work independently but sometimes function as a member of a team; work most closely with the Center staff and academic departments within the University. This position works with the Center Director to provide assistance on projects and other duties as assigned.
   
   The Business Research Center is part of a broader University initiative to facilitate regional economic development in Southeast Louisiana. The Center mission is to serve private and public institutions as an objective, high quality source of information and consultation, conduct applied research to solve problems, develop and maintain local and regional economic and demographic databases for Southeast Louisiana, and provide hands-on training of graduate students in Applied Economics.
   
   REQUIRED EDUCATION
   Master's degree in Economics or a business related field from an accredited university
   
   REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
   Must have work experience with economic impact analysis and forecasting using computer-based econometric packages such as IMPLAN, REMI, STATA, and EVIEWS and more generalized packages such as EXCEL, SPSS, or SAS
   
   PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
   Experience in fiscal impact analysis, population/demographic analysis, public policy research, public sector revenue forecasts, industry studies, labor market research, econometric modeling, and forecasting
   
   DESIRED KNOWLEDGE, ABILITIES, AND SKILLS
   Must demonstrate strong oral and written communication skills
   
   REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
   Cover Letter
   Resume/Vita
   Copies of Transcripts (official transcripts will be required if hired)
   Names and contact information for 3 references
   
   Posting Close Date
   October 15, 2022
   
   Please Note: Applications must be completed and submitted by 11:59 p.m. on the posting close date to ensure consideration.
   
   How to Apply:
   
   Click on the Apply button and complete an electronic application which can be used for this vacancy as well as future vacancies. Any required documents should be attached under the Resume/CV section of your application. If all required documents are not attached you will NOT be considered.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right economist research assistant for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with economist research assistants they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit economist research assistants who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your economist research assistant job on Zippia to find and recruit economist research assistant candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit economist research assistants, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new economist research assistant

   Once you've decided on a perfect economist research assistant candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new economist research assistant. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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