Introducing Labour Economics Letters

Abstract This editorial introduces Labour Economics Letters as a new journal for concise, rigorous and policy-relevant research in labour economics. The journal builds on the intellectual and institutional legacy of the Revista de Economía Laboral, the Jornadas de Economía Laboral and the Asociación Española de Economía del Trabajo, while responding to a changing academic publishing environment marked by increasing submission volumes, longer review times and growing demand for timely evidence. We argue that a letters-format journal can complement existing full-length outlets by providing a rapid peer-reviewed channel for focused empirical findings, methodological contributions, replications, policy evaluations and frontier syntheses. The editorial principles of the journal are the following: double-blind peer review, methodological rigor, transparency, reproducibility, open access and accessibility for both academic and policy audiences. Our aim is that the journal becomes an international reference within current and future research frontiers in labour economics, including technological change, artificial intelligence, labour market heterogeneity, inequality, policy evaluation, administrative data, platform work, work–life balance and the interaction of labour economics with neighbouring disciplines. In sum, we expect that Labour Economics Letters will represent both a continuation of a scholarly tradition, but also a response to new scientific and societal needs.