Research Seminar
The causal effects of the minimum wage in Germany – What have we learned so far? — Dominik Groll
Speaker
Dominik Groll (Kiel Institute)
Abstract
In Germany, a nationwide statutory minimum wage was introduced in 2015. It started at 8.50€ per hour and increased in several steps to currently 9.82€, each step following the recommendations of the Minimum Wage Commission. The newly-elected federal government is now planning to lift the minimum wage to 12€ as of October 1, 2022, which is the first time the government does not follow the recommendations of the Minimum Wage Commission. In this seminar, I will give an overview of the empirical evidence on the causal effects of the minimum wage introduction on hourly wages, employment, working hours, poverty measures and more. I will then discuss to what extent these findings can be carried over to the minimum wage hike to 12€ planned for this year. Since the minimum wage is a policy measure that receives a great deal of attention in academic, political, and public debates, and since the hike to 12€ will play a role in the upcoming forecasts and policy recommendations of the Kiel Institute and of the Joint Economic Forecast (“Gemeinschaftsdiagnose”), I would highly welcome a vivid and frank exchange of views with the researchers of the Institute.
Room
Virtuall via Zoom
If interested, please send an Email to frank.bickenbach@ifw-kiel.de to receive a Zoom-Link to the seminar.