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Minimum Wage Incidence: The Case for Germany

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  • Andreas Knabe
  • Ronnie Schöb

Abstract

This paper analyzes the impact of a statutory minimum wage on employment, wage inequality, public expenditures, and aggregate income in the low-wage sector for two scenarios: a competitive labor market and a monopsonistic labor market. Using data from the 2006 wave of the German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP), we show that irrespective of which scenario adequately describes the labor market, a statutory minimum wage reduces employment and raises public expenditures. While aggregate income in the low-wage sector increases, poor households (i.e., those eligible for Unemployment Benefits II), do not benefit from a minimum wage. Wage subsidies at the same fiscal cost ensure more favorable employment effects in both scenarios. However, the workers' income depends on whether we have a competitive or a monopsonistic labor market. A wage subsidy ensures higher household income in a competitive labor market but leads to lower income gains in the monopsonistic scenario. Furthermore, wage subsidies lead to a more equal income distribution than statutory minimum wages, irrespective of their incidence. Combining a minimum wage with a compensating wage subsidy, similar to the French minimum wage system, is extremely costly while still inferior to pure wage subsidies.

Suggested Citation

  • Andreas Knabe & Ronnie Schöb, 2009. "Minimum Wage Incidence: The Case for Germany," FinanzArchiv: Public Finance Analysis, Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, vol. 65(4), pages 403-441, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:mhr:finarc:urn:sici:0015-2218(200912)65:4_403:mwitcf_2.0.tx_2-s
    DOI: 10.1628/001522108X486598
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    minimum wage; monopsonistic labor market; wage subsidies;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H2 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue
    • I3 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty
    • J3 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs

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