Employment effects of the new German minimum wage - evidence from establishment-level micro data

"In Germany a new statutory minimum wage of EURO 8.50 per hour of work was introduced on 1 January 2015. We identify employment effects using variation in the establishment-level affectedness. The data allow us to address anticipatory wage adjustments as well as spillover effects within and acr...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Bossler, Mario, Gerner, Hans-Dieter
Institution:ETUI-European Trade Union Institute
Format: TEXT
Language:English
Published: Nürnberg 2016
IAB
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Online Access:https://www.labourline.org/KENTIKA-19105283124919234659-employment-effects-of-the-new-.htm
Description
Summary:"In Germany a new statutory minimum wage of EURO 8.50 per hour of work was introduced on 1 January 2015. We identify employment effects using variation in the establishment-level affectedness. The data allow us to address anticipatory wage adjustments as well as spillover effects within and across workplaces. Difference-indifferences estimation reveals an increase in average wages by 4.8 percent and an employment reduction by about 1.9 percent in affected establishments. These estimates imply an employment elasticity with respect to wages of about -0.3. Looking at the associated labor flows, the employment effect seems mostly driven by a reduction in hires but also by a small increase in separations. Moreover, the employment neutral turnover rate decreases. When analyzing alternative adjustment margins, we observe a reduction in the typical contracted working hours but no effects on freelance employment."
Physical Description:35 p.
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