Unemployment Insurance, Starting Salaries, and Jobs: Evidence from Multi-state Firms
研究了七个州将失业保险福利永久削减30%至64%后，发现改革州的就业增长比同一企业在其他州的机构高出0.8%至1.3%，起薪降低1.2%至5.5%，表明工人因外部选择减少而降低保留工资，雇主借此降低工资并增加就业。
Abstract We study the labour market effects of permanent 30%–64% reductions on unemployment insurance benefits available in seven states. Leveraging linked firm-establishment data, we find that establishments based on reform states experience employment increases that are 0.8%–1.3% larger than those of the same firm’s establishments in other states. Using a similar multi-state firm design, starting salaries are 1.2%–5.5% lower in reform states and posted salaries for the same job fall by 3.2%–3.5%. The negative co-movement of employment and wages after the reform suggests a labour supply shock and mitigates against confounding changes in labour demand driving the results. Our findings are consistent with workers lowering their reservation wages as outside options fall, and employers take advantage of this by offering lower wages and increasing employment.