IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/taf/rapaxx/v32y2010i2p163-176.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Minimum Wage Policy in Hong Kong

Author

Listed:
  • Tan Boon Seng
  • Stephen Ko

Abstract

An across-the-board statutory minimum wage (SMW) will come into effect in Hong Kong on 1 May 2011. We draw on theoretical arguments for and against a SMW policy, examining empirical evidence outside Hong Kong to suggest an agenda for research. The anti-poverty argument for a SMW implies that the SMW rate should significantly exceed the comprehensive social security assistance (CSSA) monthly payment rate of HK$4095. However, the anti-poverty argument is problematic because of the complexity of the poverty problem. The unemployment argument against a SMW has a lower level of consensus today than it did three decades ago because of conflicting empirical results. The theory of a monopsonistic labour market is the leading theoretical explanation for this situation. It is an empirical question if the labour market that hires low-wage workers in Hong Kong is monopsonistic or competitive. The source of monopsony power and the effects of an across-the-board SMW can differ among industries depending on the difference between the industry average wage rates and the SMW. Firms that hire low-wage workers can also adjust differently, depending on their competitiveness in their product markets. Empirical investigations can help improve policy making with informed decision making.

Suggested Citation

  • Tan Boon Seng & Stephen Ko, 2010. "The Minimum Wage Policy in Hong Kong," Asia Pacific Journal of Public Administration, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 32(2), pages 163-176, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:rapaxx:v:32:y:2010:i:2:p:163-176
    DOI: 10.1080/23276665.2010.10779372
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/23276665.2010.10779372
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1080/23276665.2010.10779372?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sara lemos, 2004. "The Effects of the Minimum Wage on Wages, Employment and Prices," Discussion Papers in Economics 04/10, Division of Economics, School of Business, University of Leicester.
    2. David Card & Alan B. Krueger, 1997. "A Reanalysis of the Effect of the New Jersey Minimum Wage Increase on the Fast-Food Industry with Representative Payroll Data," Working Papers 772, Princeton University, Department of Economics, Industrial Relations Section..
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Lemos Sara, 2005. "Political Variables as Instruments for the Minimum Wage," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 4(1), pages 1-33, December.
    2. Acevedo Rueda, Rafael Alexis & Sanchez, Yasmin, 2013. "El consumo, ingreso y ahorro del Venezolano: un primer análisis descriptivo de la V República [Venezuelan's consumption, incomes and savning: a first descriptive analysis of the V Republic]," MPRA Paper 58211, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 2014.
    3. Abowd, J.M. & Kramarz, F. & Margolis, D.N., 1998. "Minimum Wages and Employment in France and the United States," Papiers du Laboratoire de Microéconomie Appliquée 1998-12, Université Panthéon-Sorbonne (Paris 1).
    4. Sara Lemos, 2004. "A Menu of Minimum Wage Variables for Evaluating Wages and Employment Effects: Evidence from Brazil," Discussion Papers in Economics 04/3, Division of Economics, School of Business, University of Leicester.
    5. Gudibande, Rohan Ravindra & Jacob, Arun, 2020. "Minimum wages for domestic workers: impact evaluation of the Indian experience," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 130(C).
    6. repec:eee:labchp:v:3:y:1999:i:pb:p:2101-2163 is not listed on IDEAS
    7. M. A. Ivanova, 2016. "Analysis of the nature of cause-and-effect relationship between inflation and wage in Russia," Studies on Russian Economic Development, Springer, vol. 27(5), pages 575-584, September.
    8. Livia Chițu, 2021. "Reserve accumulation, inflation, and moral hazard: Evidence from a natural experiment," International Finance, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(2), pages 219-235, August.
    9. Gonzalo Castex H., 2012. "Aumento del Salario Mínimo y sus Efectos sobre el Mercado Laboral," Notas de Investigación Journal Economía Chilena (The Chilean Economy), Central Bank of Chile, vol. 15(2), pages 117-129, August.
    10. Christian Ragacs, 2003. "Mindestlöhne und Beschäftigung: Die empirische Evidenz," Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft - WuG, Kammer für Arbeiter und Angestellte für Wien, Abteilung Wirtschaftswissenschaft und Statistik, vol. 29(2), pages 215-246.
    11. Bhaskar, V & To, Ted, 1999. "Minimum Wages for Ronald McDonald Monopsonies: A Theory of Monopsonistic Competition," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 109(455), pages 190-203, April.
    12. Abowd, John M. & Kramarz, Francis & Margolis, David N. & Philippon, Thomas, 2000. "The Tail of Two Countries: Minimum Wages and Employment in France and the United States," IZA Discussion Papers 203, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    13. Fitriya & Abdul Basyith & Rabin Ibnu Zainal, 2020. "The Doubled-Edge Sword of Raising the Minimum Wage: The Case of Indonesia," Asian Economic and Financial Review, Asian Economic and Social Society, vol. 10(12), pages 1453-1465, December.
    14. Pablo Blanchard & Paula Carrasco & Rodrigo Ceni & Cecilia Parada & Sofía Santín, 2021. "Distributive and displacement effects of a coordinated wage bargaining scheme," Documentos de Trabajo (working papers) 21-26, Instituto de Economía - IECON.
    15. Horst Feldmann, 2003. "Labor Market Regulation and Labor Market Performance: Evidence Based on Surveys among Senior Business Executives," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 56(4), pages 509-540, November.
    16. Ann Dryden Witte & Magaly Queralt & Tasneem Chipty & Harriet Griesinger, 1998. "Unintended Consequences? Welfare Reform and the Working Poor," NBER Working Papers 6798, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    17. Luciano Fanti & Luca Gori, 2011. "On economic growth and minimum wages," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 103(1), pages 59-82, May.
    18. Sara Lemos, 2004. "The Effects of the Minimum Wage on Prices in Brazil," Labor and Demography 0403011, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    19. Kramarz, Francis & Philippon, Thomas, 2001. "The impact of differential payroll tax subsidies on minimum wage employment," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 82(1), pages 115-146, October.
    20. Fougere, Denis & Kramarz, Francis & Magnac, Thierry, 2000. "Youth employment policies in France," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 44(4-6), pages 928-942, May.
    21. R. Jason Faberman, 2003. "Job Flows and Establishment Characteristics: Variations Across U.S. Metropolitan Areas," William Davidson Institute Working Papers Series 2003-609, William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:taf:rapaxx:v:32:y:2010:i:2:p:163-176. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Longhurst (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.tandfonline.com/RAPA20 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.