Yvonne Erkens appointed Professor of Labour Law
Yvonne Erkens has been appointed Professor of Labour Law at Leiden University as of 1 January 2026.
Yvonne Erkens, an Associate Professor at the Department of Labour Law and Social Security since 2015, will focus in her new appointment on research in the field of national and transnational labour law. ‘Labour law deals with employment and social security, founded on the notion of social justice, social protection and social dialogue. The ongoing changes in society, such as individualisation, digitisation and AI, are having a major impact on employment, labour relations and social security. Old structures are no longer adequate and require extensive “maintenance” and, above all, innovation. Academic research can help in achieving this.’
Erkens has established a research line in transnational labour law which she will develop further in the coming years. ‘Issues related to sustainability will largely determine the research agenda of the faculty and the university in the coming decade. I can contribute to this by conducting research on the enforcement of fundamental labour rights in global value chains. Issues include the prohibition of child labour and discrimination, safe working conditions, and trade union freedom.’
Erkens will strengthen and develop teaching in the field of labour law within the bachelor’s programme. She will also remain fully involved in the master’s degree in Arbeidsrecht. ‘Citizens seeking justice encounter issues related to labour law at various stages of their lives. High-quality education across all subfields of labour law and social insurance law is therefore essential.’
Extensive practical experience
Yvonne Erkens studied at Leiden University and went on to gain broad practical experience as a lawyer, collective bargaining negotiator, and a judge. Throughout this time, she maintained her links with education. Since 2004, Erkens has worked full time at Leiden University; initially in a combined appointment at the departments Moot Court and Labour Law, and since July 2010 full time for the Department of Labour Law. She was appointed Head of Department in 2023. Since 2018, Erkens has chaired the Academic Integrity Committee of Leiden University and LUMC.
Looking ahead
In her role as professor, Erkens hopes to influence certain key developments: ‘My aim in the coming years is to advance Leiden Law School’s interdisciplinary teaching and research on sustainability and social justice, fostering departmental collaboration and synergy to achieve legally informed data and insights to tackle pressing societal issues.’
In the area of national employment law, Erkens will contribute to the simplification and modernisation of the rules related to employments contracts. ‘The relationship between employers and employees has changed vastly over the past hundred years. The concept of “authority”, which largely determines whether an employment contract exists, therefore also needs to be reinterpreted.’
Crowning achievement
‘For most people, work is one of the major cornerstones of life’, says Erkens. 'A person’s education level, how much they earn: labour law as a framework to regulate the inherent inequality between employers and employees was and remains essential.’
For Erkens, this appointment is a crowning achievement in her academic career. It offers an opportunity to further expand the Department of Labour Law and Social Security, to launch new lines of research, and to consolidate ongoing research in transnational labour law.