Hamersma study on hiring subsidies and job duration published in Economic Inquiry
Jun 30, 2011
Why Don’t Eligible Firms Claim Hiring Subsidies? The Role of Job Duration
Sarah Hamersma
Economic Inquiry, June 2011
Only a small fraction of firms that hire disadvantaged workers claim the federal subsidies for which they qualify, namely, the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) and Welfare-to-Work Tax Credit (WtW). Subsidy benefits depend partially on job duration, with higher subsidy rates above certain job-duration thresholds. Hamersma estimates the relationship between a firm's WOTC/WtW participation and its eligible workers' job durations. Using unique Wisconsin administrative data, Hamersma finds that workers' subsidy rates (determined by hours worked) have the expected relationship to participation: Firms with a larger fraction of workers exceeding the programs' job-duration thresholds are more likely to claim the WOTC/WtW. Hamersma also finds no evidence that firms systematically modify the job duration of their workers to maximize subsidy payments.