About the role
Oxford Economics is the world's foremost independent economic advisory firm. We have a fantastic opportunity for hard-working economics / finance students to join our team in the United Kingdom on a one year industrial placement. Positions are available on the following teams: Macro Forecasting & Analysis, Cities & Regions, Global Industry, Data – Industry, Scenarios & Macro Modelling, Data – Macro, Macro Consulting, Economic Impact, Economic Footprint & Sustainability, Tourism Economics, and Transport / Construction.
The Programme
We have an opportunity for successful candidates to gain experience within areas related to their degree subject. Our students will work closely with our experienced team of economists and take on some responsibility for analysis, country forecasting and econometrics. By joining our teams, you will achieve an in-depth practical knowledge related to your degree subject.
The Role
Placement positions are available in the following areas of the business:
Macro Forecasting & Analysis (London)
Using the Oxford Economics Global Economic Model, the Macro Forecasting & Analysis team produces forecasts for GDP, inflation, interest rates and hundreds of other indicators for more than 200 countries, updated twice a month. The team also produces written analysis on the implications of the latest economic data and policy news, alongside in-depth research on the critical issues that will shape the performance of economies and financial markets.
Positions are available within the Macro Strategy and Emerging Markets, Real Estate, and Eurozone teams, situated in our award-winning Macro and Investor Services division. You should have a particular interest in macroeconomics, quantitative analysis and financial markets.
Cities & Regions (London & Belfast)
National-level economic analysis provides only a partial guide to the dynamics unfolding in the world’s major urban centres. Our unique suite of forecasting services covers over 8,000 cities and regions across the world, providing regularly updated data, forecasts and analysis for each location. Our city consultants also work in the areas of urban and regional development, bespoke model building and location benchmarking.
As a placement student in the Cities & Regions team, you will assist in producing these regional forecasts, as well as supporting our economists in developing the quality of our services. This could include contributing to written reports or exploring novel approaches to data estimation, such as using satellite imagery to estimate regional activity. Over the course of the year, students will gain a deeper understanding of regional economics and how city performance differs from the macroeconomy, developing technical skills across the MS Office suite, EViews and the mapping software QGIS in the process.
Global Industry (London)
Our team comprises economists who are each focused on a particular sector, such as energy generation and renewables, across the countries that we cover.
The role of the placement student is to provide support to the economists, forecast their own industries and contribute to monthly and quarterly reports. As the year progresses, placement students are given more responsibility, including forecasting some smaller macroeconomic countries, while continuing to support economists with detailed analytical work. The placement student is assigned a sector to forecast each quarter and contributes write-ups on their sector to our monthly and quarterly publications.
Our commodities team is also supported on a monthly basis by the placement student. The Industry team is involved in a number of regular and bespoke consultancy projects for large industrial firms and trade associations, and placement students typically assist with report writing and analysis. Previous placement students have made significant contributions to our flagship Global Construction reports and have been cited within publications, while others have written front-page pieces for our monthly reports.
Data – Industry (London)
Our London-based Industry Data team supports the data and forecasting infrastructure behind Oxford Economics’ global industry services. The team works with detailed historical and forecast data across a wide range of sectors and countries, helping to maintain the datasets that underpin our industry forecasts, models, reports and client-facing products.
As a placement student, you will support the team with the collection, processing, validation and analysis of industry data, working with datasets covering different sectors and economies. You will gain practical experience in data analysis and economic forecasting while developing an understanding of how macroeconomic developments feed through into industry-level performance and forecasts. Experience with tools such as Excel, R, Python, Stata or EViews would be particularly relevant to the role.
Scenarios & Macro Modelling (London)
Our Scenarios & Macro Modelling team focuses on designing scenarios and building macroeconomic models that help clients assess the impact of major global risks, from inflation and geopolitical tensions to climate change. Using Oxford Economics’ Global Economic Model, the team supports our Global Scenarios and Climate Services while also delivering bespoke projects such as bank stress tests. This work blends economic insight with technical modelling to provide clients with robust, data-driven answers.
As a placement student in the Scenarios & Macro Modelling team, you will gain broad exposure to economic consulting and modelling work. Most of the team’s projects involve working with the Oxford Economics Global Economic Model (GEM), one of the world’s leading large-scale commercial macroeconomic models, to develop bespoke scenarios.
You will be given more responsibility as you develop your skills and knowledge. By the end of the year, students will typically be able to support the production of macroeconomic scenarios. Scenarios are an important tool in helping clients understand the potential economic impacts of real-world events, giving you the opportunity to develop your knowledge and application of economics to real-world questions.
Data – Macro (Oxford)
Our Oxford-based Macro Data team supports the development, management and delivery of the economic data that underpins Oxford Economics’ macroeconomic forecasting, research and client services. The team works with large and complex datasets covering economies around the world, helping to ensure that the data used across our forecasts, models and analytical products is accurate, consistent and up to date.
As a placement student, you will work alongside the team on a range of data-focused projects, supporting the collection, processing, validation and analysis of macroeconomic datasets. You will gain practical experience working with large datasets and analytical tools, while developing your understanding of how economic data feeds into Oxford Economics’ forecasting, modelling and research. Experience with tools such as Excel, R, Python, Stata or EViews would be particularly relevant to the role.
Macro Consulting (Belfast)
Our Belfast team specialises in applied macroeconomic consulting and research, helping clients navigate uncertainty and make strategic decisions. Alongside tailored scenario projects, the team produces thought-leadership analysis on topical global issues, positioning clients at the forefront of industry and policy debates. This work combines strong economic expertise with the ability to communicate insights clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
The team’s placement student will assist with the production of research, taking more responsibility as the year progresses. Research topics which placement students have contributed to or led on in the past have included producing cross-country indicators of financial conditions, assessing countries’ fiscal positions post-COVID, and analysing