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The Effects of Reduced Social Security Contributions on Employment: An Evaluation of the 2003 French Reform

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  • Mathieu Bunel
  • Yannick L'Horty

Abstract

In 2003, the French government decided to reform the system managing the different minimum wage regulations and the targeted reductions to employers' social security contributions. The main objective of the reform was to simplify the complex regulations that were created by the progressive introduction of the 35-hour week. The reform incidentally created large variations in labour costs, depending on the type of firm and the wage level within the firm. This paper presents an evaluation of the impact of this reform on employment using a balanced panel of firms with more than five employees, drawn from a matching between several administrative data sources from 2000 to 2005. In both types of firm, significant employment elasticities can be found with respect to labour costs that have the expected signs: a rise of 1% in average labour costs reduces employment by 0.4%. As the majority of firms that remained on the 39-hour week received greater reductions, the Fillon reform allowed them to raise their level of employment. Firms that adopted the 35-hour week experienced the opposite: the reform led to a fall in employment. Ultimately, the Fillon reform has had no clear effect on aggregate employment, measured either in job numbers or full-time equivalents (FTE).
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(This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.)
(This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.)
(This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.)
(This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.)
(This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.)

Suggested Citation

  • Mathieu Bunel & Yannick L'Horty, 2012. "The Effects of Reduced Social Security Contributions on Employment: An Evaluation of the 2003 French Reform," Fiscal Studies, Institute for Fiscal Studies, vol. 33(3), pages 371-398, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:ifs:fistud:v:33:y:2012:i:3:p:371-398
    DOI: j.1475-5890.2012.00165.x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Lehmann, Etienne & Marical, François & Rioux, Laurence, 2013. "Labor income responds differently to income-tax and payroll-tax reforms," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 66-84.
    2. Clément Malgouyres & Thierry Mayer, 2018. "Exports and labor costs: evidence from a French policy," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 154(3), pages 429-454, August.
    3. Sophie Cottet, 2020. "Payroll Tax Reductions for Minimum Wage Workers: Relative Labor Cost or Cash Windfall Effects?," Working Papers halshs-03010943, HAL.
    4. Nadine Levratto & Aziza Garsaa & Luc Tessier, 2013. "To what extent do exemptions from social security contributions affect firm growth? New evidence using quantile estimations on panel data," EconomiX Working Papers 2013-15, University of Paris Nanterre, EconomiX.
    5. Adam, Stuart & Phillips, David & Roantree, Barra, 2019. "35 years of reforms: A panel analysis of the incidence of, and employee and employer responses to, social security contributions in the UK," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 171(C), pages 29-50.
    6. Gilbert Mbara & Joanna Tyrowicz & Ryszard Kokoszczynski, 2017. "Striking a balance: optimal tax policy with labor market duality," Working Papers 2017-12, Faculty of Economic Sciences, University of Warsaw.
    7. Aziza GARSAA & Nadine LEVRATTO & Luc TESSIER, 2015. "Do Exemptions From Social Security Contributions Affect Job Creation? New Empirical Evidence From French Overseas Regions," Region et Developpement, Region et Developpement, LEAD, Universite du Sud - Toulon Var, vol. 42, pages 79-104.
    8. Etienne Lehmann & Claudio Lucifora & Simone Moriconi & Bruno Van der Linden, 2016. "Beyond the labour income tax wedge: the unemployment-reducing effect of tax progressivity," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 23(3), pages 454-489, June.
    9. Sophie Cottet, 2020. "Payroll Tax Reductions for Minimum Wage Workers: Relative Labor Cost or Cash Windfall Effects?," PSE Working Papers halshs-03010943, HAL.
    10. Fabrice Gilles & Yannick L’Horty & Ferhat Mihoubi & Xi Yang, 2018. "Evaluating the impact of firm tax credits. Results from the French natural experiment CICE," TEPP Working Paper 2018-05, TEPP.
    11. Richard Duhautois & Fabrice Gilles, 2013. "Payroll tax reductions and job flows in France," Working Papers hal-01006652, HAL.
    12. Raphael A Espinoza & Esther Perez Ruiz, 2014. "Labor Tax Cuts and Employment; A General Equilibrium Approach for France," IMF Working Papers 14/114, International Monetary Fund.
    13. Aziza Garsaa & Nadine Levratto, 2015. "Do labor tax rebates facilitate firm growth? An empirical study on French establishments in the manufacturing industry, 2004–2011," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 45(3), pages 613-641, October.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • C14 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General - - - Semiparametric and Nonparametric Methods: General
    • J3 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs
    • J38 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Public Policy

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