Abstract

"The fourth edition of the Arbeitsmarktspiegel shows important developments on the German labour market since the introduction of the statutory minimum wage in Germany. Based on preliminary forecasts for January and February 2017, we also observe current developments following the minimum wage increase from EURO 8.50 to EURO 8.84 on January 1, 2017. Overall employment is continuously increasing two years after the introduction of the minimum wage, mainly due to an increase in employment subject to social security. The number of marginal employees, which had decreased considerably after the introduction of the minimum wage in 2015, has since continued to follow a slightly declining path. As to the minimum wage increase in 2017, the preliminary data for January and February 2017 so far do not suggest any effects on employment. The monthly changes from marginal employment to employment subject to social security, which had shown a short-term increase by about 100 percent after the introduction of the minimum wage, do not show any significant alteration between December 2016 and January 2017. Next to employment trends in general, the Arbeitsmarktspiegel examines developments for specific subgroups of the labour market, especially differences with regard to gender, industry, and region. Three editions of the Arbeitsmarktspiegel have been released so far. This research report represents an updated version with partly varying topics." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))