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Wage and Employment Impact of Minimum Wage: Evidence from Lithuania

Author

Listed:
  • Jose Garcia-Louzao

    (Bank of Lithuania and Vilnius University)

  • Linas Tarasonis

    (ank of Lithuania and Vilnius University)

Abstract

This paper evaluates the worker-level effects of a historically large and permanent increase in the minimum wage in Lithuania. Our identification strategy leverages variation in workers’ exposure to the new minimum wage, and exploits the fact that there has been no increase in the minimum wage in previous years, to account for heterogeneous labor market prospects of low-wage workers relative to high-wage workers. Using detailed administrative records to track workers before and after the policy change, we show that the minimum wage hike significantly increased the earnings of low-wage workers. This direct effect was amplified by wage spillovers reaching the median of the income distribution. Overall, we find no negative effects on the employment prospects of low-wage workers. However, we provide suggestive evidence that young workers, highly exposed municipalities, and tradable sectors may be more negatively affected. Taken together, our findings imply an employment elasticity with respect to the minimum wage of -0.021, and an own-wage elasticity of -0.033, suggesting that wage gains dominated employment losses.

Suggested Citation

  • Jose Garcia-Louzao & Linas Tarasonis, 2022. "Wage and Employment Impact of Minimum Wage: Evidence from Lithuania," Bank of Lithuania Working Paper Series 103, Bank of Lithuania.
    • Handle: RePEc:lie:wpaper:103
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    Cited by:

    1. is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Laporšek, Suzana & Orazem, Peter F. & Vodopivec, Milan & Vodopivec, Matija, 2024. "Long-term responses to large minimum wage shocks: Subminimum and super-minimum workers in Slovenia," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 48(4).
    3. Rashmi Ahuja & Shrimoyee Ganguly & Rajat Acharyya & Sugata Marjit, 2024. "Labour-Market Reform, Skill-Based Exports and Employment: Some Unconventional Results Under Finite Change in General Equilibrium," CESifo Working Paper Series 11455, CESifo.
    4. Jose Garcia-Louzao & Alessandro Ruggieri, 2023. "Labor Market Competition and Inequality," Bank of Lithuania Working Paper Series 117, Bank of Lithuania.
    5. Jose Garcia-Louzao & Linas Tarasonis, 2025. "Earnings Inequality and Risk over Two Decades of Economic Development in Lithuania," GRAPE Working Papers 105, GRAPE Group for Research in Applied Economics.

    More about this item

    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • J23 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Demand
    • J38 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Public Policy
    • J48 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Particular Labor Markets; Public Policy

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