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Layoff Tax and the Employment of the Elderly

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  • Mario Schnalzenberger
  • Rudolf Winter-Ebmer

Abstract

In 1996 Austria introduced a tax for the layoff of older workers, which was tightened in 2000. The regulation requires employers to pay a tax of up to 170 percent of the gross monthly income when they give notice to employees aged 50 or more. We use data from Austrian social security records to investigate if such layoff taxes lead to less firing of older workers. We compare a control group of workers aged nearly 50 with the treatment group above 50. We apply a difference-in-difference approach to analyze the difference in the displacement probability of all prime aged workers. Results show substantial reductions in layoff behavior for workers aged 50 and above after the tightening of the tax.

Suggested Citation

  • Mario Schnalzenberger & Rudolf Winter-Ebmer, 2008. "Layoff Tax and the Employment of the Elderly," NRN working papers 2008-04, The Austrian Center for Labor Economics and the Analysis of the Welfare State, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria.
    • Handle: RePEc:jku:nrnwps:2008_04
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Picchio, Matteo & van Ours, Jan C., 2013. "Retaining through training even for older workers," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 29-48.
    2. Frimmel, Wolfgang & Horvath, Thomas & Schnalzenberger, Mario & Winter-Ebmer, Rudolf, 2018. "Seniority wages and the role of firms in retirement," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 164(C), pages 19-32.
    3. Messe, Pierre-Jean & Rouland, Bénédicte, 2014. "Stricter employment protection and firms' incentives to sponsor training: The case of French older workers," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 14-26.
    4. Rene Boheim & Thomas Nice, 2019. "The effect of early retirement schemes on youth employment," IZA World of Labor, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), pages 1-70, October.
    5. Vladislav Flek & Martin Hála & Martina Mysíková, 2018. "Nezaměstnanost a věková segmentace trhu práce [Unemployment and Age-based Labor Market Segmentation]," Politická ekonomie, Prague University of Economics and Business, vol. 2018(6), pages 709-731.
    6. Martha Alicia Yánez Contreras & Cristian David Maldonado Pedroza & Katherin Paola Del Risco Serje, 2016. "Participación laboral de la población de 60 anos de edad o más en Colombia," Revista de Economía del Caribe 14790, Universidad del Norte.
    7. Graf, Nikolaus & Hofer, Helmut & Winter-Ebmer, Rudolf, 2011. "Labor supply effects of a subsidized old-age part-time scheme in Austria," Zeitschrift für ArbeitsmarktForschung - Journal for Labour Market Research, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany], vol. 44(3), pages 217-229.
    8. Fredrik Heyman & Per Skedinger, 2016. "Employment Protection Reform, Enforcement in Collective Agreements and Worker Flows," Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55(4), pages 662-704, October.
    9. repec:clr:wugarc:y:2011:v:37i:3p:461 is not listed on IDEAS
    10. Pierre-Jean Messe & Benedicte Rouland, 2012. "Stricter employment protection and firms’ incentives to train: The case of French older workers," TEPP Working Paper 2012-04, TEPP.
    11. Day Manoli & Andrea Weber, 2016. "Nonparametric Evidence on the Effects of Financial Incentives on Retirement Decisions," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 8(4), pages 160-182, November.
    12. Ayako Kondo & Hitoshi Shigeoka, 2013. "The Effectiveness of Government Intervention to Promote Elderly Employment: Evidence from Elderly Employment Stabilization Law," Working Papers e061, Tokyo Center for Economic Research.
    13. Tibor Hanappi, 2012. "Retirement Behaviour in Austria: Incentive Effects on Old-Age Labor Supply," NRN working papers 2012-13, The Austrian Center for Labor Economics and the Analysis of the Welfare State, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria.
    14. Graf, Nikolaus & Hofer, Helmut & Winter-Ebmer, Rudolf, 2011. "Labor supply effects of a subsidized old-age part-time scheme in Austria," Zeitschrift für ArbeitsmarktForschung - Journal for Labour Market Research, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany], vol. 44(3), pages 217-229.
    15. Kerndler, Martin, 2016. "Contracting frictions and inefficient layoffs of older workers," VfS Annual Conference 2016 (Augsburg): Demographic Change 145711, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    16. Katarina Borovickova, 2012. "Learning and Labor Market Flows," 2012 Meeting Papers 652, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    17. Tito Boeri & Jan van Ours, 2013. "The Economics of Imperfect Labor Markets: Second Edition," Economics Books, Princeton University Press, edition 1, number 10142.
    18. Thomas Schober & Mario Schnalzenberger & Rudolf Winter-Ebmer, 2011. "Kündigung unter Strafe - Beschäftigungsförderung für Ältere in Österreich," Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft - WuG, Kammer für Arbeiter und Angestellte für Wien, Abteilung Wirtschaftswissenschaft und Statistik, vol. 37(3), pages 461-470.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Layoff tax; labor demand; employment; elderly workers;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J14 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of the Elderly; Economics of the Handicapped; Non-Labor Market Discrimination
    • J45 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Public Sector Labor Markets
    • J63 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Turnover; Vacancies; Layoffs

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