Arbeitspapier

Dismissal Protection and Long-term Sickness Absence - First Evidence from Germany

This paper analyses the causal effects of weaker dismissal protection on the incidence of long-term sickness (> six weeks). We exploit a German policy change, which shifted the threshold exempting small establishments from dismissal protection from five to ten workers. Using administrative data, we find a significantly negative reform effect on transitions into long-term sickness in the second year after a worker has entered an establishment. This response is due to a behavioural, rather than a compositional effect and is mainly driven by less skilled workers. Our results further indicate that the reform did not alter the probability of involuntary unemployment after sickness.

Language
Englisch

Bibliographic citation
Series: IAB-Discussion Paper ; No. 22/2020

Classification
Wirtschaft
Institutions: Design, Formation, Operations, and Impact
Health Behavior
Safety; Job Satisfaction; Related Public Policy
Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs: Public Policy
Labor Standards: Public Policy
Labor Turnover; Vacancies; Layoffs
Labor Law
Subject
Administrative Data
Difference-in-Differences
Dismissal Protection
Involuntary Unemployment
Long-term Sickness
Small Establishments

Event
Geistige Schöpfung
(who)
Gürtzgen, Nicole
Hiesinger, Karolin
Event
Veröffentlichung
(who)
Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB)
(where)
Nürnberg
(when)
2020

Handle
Last update
10.03.2025, 11:44 AM CET

Data provider

This object is provided by:
ZBW - Deutsche Zentralbibliothek für Wirtschaftswissenschaften - Leibniz-Informationszentrum Wirtschaft. If you have any questions about the object, please contact the data provider.

Object type

  • Arbeitspapier

Associated

  • Gürtzgen, Nicole
  • Hiesinger, Karolin
  • Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB)

Time of origin

  • 2020

Other Objects (12)