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Minimum wages, retirement timing, and labor supply

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  • Hampton, Matt
  • Totty, Evan

Abstract

We find that minimum wage increases lead to increased employment for low-wage, retirement-age individuals using survey data linked to several decades of individual-level IRS and SSA data. Own-wage elasticity estimates of the employment effect are larger than normal for the minimum wage literature but are consistent with recent evidence on labor supply effects of minimum wages and life-cycle models of labor supply. We also find evidence of delayed permanent employment exit and delayed retirement benefit claiming. The delay in benefit claiming appears to be driven by an interaction between minimum wages and the Social Security earnings test. These results suggest that retirement-age individuals are very responsive to changes in labor market opportunities and that minimum wages may complement Social Security incentives that encourage more work and delayed benefit claiming.

Suggested Citation

  • Hampton, Matt & Totty, Evan, 2023. "Minimum wages, retirement timing, and labor supply," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 224(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:pubeco:v:224:y:2023:i:c:s0047272723001068
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2023.104924
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Minimum wages; Employment; Social Security; Retirement; Labor supply; Linked survey-administrative data;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H55 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Social Security and Public Pensions
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply
    • J26 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Retirement; Retirement Policies
    • J38 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Public Policy

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