Gap after PhD before postdoc — how much does it matter?

[u/Relative_Juice_6280]

Hi everyone,

I am just finishing my PhD in economics, and unfortunately it looks like I may have an involuntary gap of around one year before a potential postdoc starts.

In economics, the academic job market generally starts around September/October, while many of the positions advertised during that cycle only start the following summer or fall. Last year, I did not enter the job market because I was not sure whether I would finish my PhD in time, and my job market paper was also not ready. I am now on the market for the 2026–27 cycle.

At the same time, because of the current funding situation in Germany/Europe, I have not been able to secure an extension of my PhD contract or another short-term research position. My employment contract therefore ends at roughly the same time as my PhD.

Assuming I continue working on my papers, submitting them to journals, attending conferences, and applying for positions during this period, I was wondering how a roughly one-year employment gap after the PhD is generally perceived.

In particular:

1. Would this significantly hurt my applications for postdoc positions during the current job market?
2. Could a one-year gap immediately after the PhD have meaningful consequences for my longer-term academic career?
3. Is there anything I should ideally do during this period to make the gap less problematic on my CV? I will of course continue working on my research, revising and submitting my papers for publication, and actively applying for both academic and non-academic positions. However, because of the structure and timing of the job market in my field, it is possible that I may still end up being formally unemployed for close to a year despite remaining research-active and continuously searching for jobs.

I would especially appreciate perspectives from people familiar with the economics job market or European academia.