The Effect of Changes in the Statutory Minimum Working Age on Educational, Labor and Health Outcomes

46 Pages Posted: 8 Jun 2015

See all articles by Sergi Jimenez-Martin

Sergi Jimenez-Martin

Universitat Pompeu Fabra - Faculty of Economic and Business Sciences

Judit Vall Castelló

Universitat Pompeu Fabra - Center for Research in Health and Economics (CRES)

Elena Del Rey

University of Girona

Abstract

In this paper we explore the effects of a labor market reform that changed the statutory minimum working age in Spain in 1980. In particular, the reform raised the statutory minimum working age from 14 to 16 years old, while the minimum age for attaining compulsory education was kept at 14 until 1990. To study the effects of this change, we exploit the different incentives faced by individuals born at various times of the year before and after the reform. We show that, for individuals born at the beginning of the year, the probabilities of finishing both the compulsory and the post-compulsory education level increased after the reform.In addition, we find that the reform decreases mortality while young (16-25) for both genders while it increases mortality for middle age women (26-40). We provide evidence to proof that the latter increase is partly explained by the deterioration of the health habits of affected women. Together, these results help explain the closing age gap in life expectancy between women and men in Spain.

Keywords: minimum working age, policy evaluation, education, mortality

JEL Classification: J01, I26, I12

Suggested Citation

Jimenez-Martin, Sergi and Castelló, Judit Vall and Del Rey, Elena, The Effect of Changes in the Statutory Minimum Working Age on Educational, Labor and Health Outcomes. IZA Discussion Paper No. 9092, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2615256 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2615256

Sergi Jimenez-Martin (Contact Author)

Universitat Pompeu Fabra - Faculty of Economic and Business Sciences ( email )

Ramon Trias Fargas 25-27
Barcelona, 08005
Spain
(34) 93 542 16 67 (Phone)
(34) 93 542 17 46 (Fax)

Judit Vall Castelló

Universitat Pompeu Fabra - Center for Research in Health and Economics (CRES) ( email )

Ramon Trias Fargas, 25-27
Barcelona, 08005
Spain

Elena Del Rey

University of Girona ( email )

Girona, 17071
Spain

Do you have a job opening that you would like to promote on SSRN?

Paper statistics

Downloads
47
Abstract Views
616
PlumX Metrics