Martin Kahanec

Martin Kahanec is a Slovak economist specialising in labour economics, migration, and European labour markets. He is a professor at the Central European University and co-founder of the Central European Labour Studies Institute (CELSI) in Bratislava.

In 2025, Kahanec received the ESET Science Award in the main category "Outstanding Scientist in Slovakia". In the same year, he was appointed to the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors of the European Commission, becoming the first Slovak member of the group.

Early life and education

Kahanec studied economics at Comenius University in Bratislava and received a Master of Arts in economics from Central European University.

Academic career

Kahanec joined Central European University in 2010 and became professor in 2016.

In 2008, he co-founded the Central European Labour Studies Institute, a Bratislava-based research institute focusing on labour markets and social policy in Central and Eastern Europe.

Kahanec's research on migration, labour markets, and economic policy has been featured in international media, including The Guardian, The Economist, BBC World News, Handelsblatt, and major Czech and Slovak newspapers.

Public service

In May 2025, Kahanec was appointed to the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors of the European Commission, part of the Commission's Scientific Advice Mechanism. Slovak news agency TASR reported that Kahanec was the first Slovak appointed to the group. The appointment was subsequently included by TASR among the key international developments of 2025.

Honours and recognition

Kahanec was elected a member of Academia Europaea in 2016.

In 2025, Kahanec received the ESET Science Award in the category Outstanding Scientist in Slovakia, becoming the first laureate from the social sciences and humanities to win the award's main category after it was opened to all scientific disciplines. The laureates were selected by an international jury chaired by Nobel Prize laureate Edvard Moser.

In 2026, Kahanec received the City of Rožňava Prize for contributions to science and for international representation of the city.

Selected publications

Kahanec, Martin; Zimmermann, Klaus F. (eds.) (2010). EU Labor Markets After Post-Enlargement Migration. Springer. ISBN 978-3-642-02241-8. Kahanec, Martin; Zimmermann, Klaus F. (eds.) (2016). Labor Migration, EU Enlargement, and the Great Recession. Springer. ISBN 978-3-662-45319-3. Guzi, Martin; Kahanec, Martin; Mýtna Kureková, Lucia (2021). "What Explains Immigrant–Native Gaps in European Labor Markets? The Role of Institutions". Migration Studies, 9(4), 1823–1856. Ulceluse, Magdalena; Kahanec, Martin (2023). "Eastward Enlargements of the European Union, Transitional Arrangements and Self-Employment". Journal of Population Economics, 36(2), 719–742. Guzi, Martin; Kahanec, Martin; Mýtna Kureková, Lucia (2023). "The Impact of Immigration and Integration Policies on Immigrant–Native Labour Market Hierarchies". Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 49(16), 4169–4187. Borsekova, Katarína; Korony, Samuel; Kahanec, Martin (2025). "Decision Tree Insights into Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Convergence in EU Labour Markets". Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space, 57(8), 1096–1120.