Werner Eichhorst studied sociology, political science, psychology and public policy and administration at the universities of Tuebingen and Konstanz where he graduated as Diplom-Verwaltungswissenschaftler in 1995. From 1996 to 1999 he was doctoral and post-doctoral fellow at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies in Cologne. In fall 1998 he received his doctoral degree from the University of Konstanz. From 1999 to 2004 he was project director at the Bertelsmann Foundation, a private think tank in Germany. After working with the Institute for Employment Research, IAB, from 2004 to 2005, he joined IZA as Research Associate in July 2005, became Senior Research Associate in February 2006, Deputy Director of Labor Policy in April 2007 and Director of Labor Policy Europe in January 2014, Coordinator of Labor Market and Social Policy in Europa in January 2017. Since November 2017 he is Honorary Professor at Bremen University, affiliated with the Research Center on Inequality and Social Policy SOCIUM.

His main research area is the comparative analysis of labor market institutions and performance as well as the political economy of labor market reform strategies. He also specializes in different aspects of the future of labor. At IZA he takes care of international and European policy-oriented research activities, addressing in particular EU level employment policies.