ifo DICE Report 4/2018 (Winter): Minimum Wage

Section: Forum – Minimum Wages

Minimum wages remain a controversial policy tool. Their effects on employment in particular are widely debated both by academics and politicians. Research is inconclusive and often depends on the specific context and the research methodology applied. While most EU member states have minimum wages in place, there are a few member states that do not have a minimum wage. Germany has only recently introduced a minimum wage in 2015 and large negative employment effects seem not to have occurred. The Forum of ifo DICE Report 4/2018 illustrates the implementation and effects of the minimum wage from the perspective of different European countries.