Economist onboarding at a glance

Week one covers orientation, safety and shadowing. Days 1–30 build vocabulary and supervised practice on core procedures; days 31–60 move to independent work with competency sign-offs; days 61–90 focus on full productivity, cross-training and a credential plan.

Before day one

Confirm start date, schedule, pay and supervisor in writing
Verify required credentials: Master’s or Ph.D. in economics, Certified Business Economist (as applicable)
Prepare equipment and access: stata; r or Python; excel; economic databases
Assign a buddy or preceptor
Enroll the new hire in Economist training so foundations are covered before or during week one

Week one: orient and protect

Workplace tour, emergency procedures and incident reporting
Protect confidential data
Follow research ethics
Present findings honestly
Disclose limitations
Shadow an experienced economist through a full shift
Training modules 1–3: role foundations, a day on the job and essential vocabulary (15 terms)

Days 1–30: learn

Goal: perform core tasks safely under supervision.

Supervised practice: write an economic policy brief
Supervised practice: run a regression for policy analysis
Supervised practice: build a simple economic forecast
Training modules 4–7: duties, step-by-step tasks, tools and safety
30-day check-in: confidence, questions and early wins

Days 31–60: contribute

Goal: handle a regular workload independently.

Collect economic data: independently
Build models and forecasts: independently
Analyze policies: independently
Write reports: independently
Competency sign-offs completed (see checklist below)
Training final knowledge check and certificate of completion
60-day check-in

Days 61–90: own

Goal: full productivity and a growth plan.

Meet productivity and quality targets for the role
Begin cross-training on a secondary task
Agree on a credential goal (for example, Master’s or Ph.D. in economics)
Discuss the career path: Research Assistant → Economist → Senior Economist
90-day review

Competency checklist

Skill or task	Trained	Observed	Signed off
Write an Economic Policy Brief
Run a Regression for Policy Analysis
Build a Simple Economic Forecast
Econometrics
Statistics
Economic theory
Programming

How to measure onboarding success

Time to independent work
Error or rework rate
Internal customer satisfaction
90-day retention

How Economist training maps to this plan

Introduction to the Economist Role
A Day on the Job
Essential Economist Vocabulary
Core Duties and Responsibilities
Common Tasks, Step by Step
Tools, Equipment and Technology
Safety, Compliance and Professional Standards
Skills Employers Look For
Launching Your Economist Career
Final Knowledge Check

Get team pricing

Economist Onboarding Plan (30-60-90 Days)