Heidi Shierholz


Heidi Shierholz was Chief Economist to the U.S. Secretary of Labor, serving under Secretary Thomas Perez. Previously, Dr. Shierholz was a labor market economist with the Economic Policy Institute, a think tank based in Washington, D.C. that advocates for liberal views.

Education

Heidi Shierholz studied mathematics at Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa, earning a B.A. in 1994. She earned a M.S. in statistics at Iowa State University in 1996. She then studied economics at the University of Michigan, earning a M.A. in 2001 and Ph.D. in 2005.

Career

Shierholz worked as an assistant professor of economics at the University of Toronto from 2005 to 2007. Shierholz joined the Economic Policy Institute in 2007. At EPI, Shierholz worked on unemployment policy, ways to support the long-term unemployed, and possible policies to pull America out of the recession. She coauthored two editions of The State of Working America, EPI's flagship publication. Before joining the Department of Labor, Shierholz regularly wrote for a number of publications, including U.S. News and World Report column "Economic Intelligence," the Washington Post, and the Huffington Post. She has been called to testify before Congress on labor market issues, including unemployment insurance and immigration.

Notable Publications