Minimum wages in New Zealand: Sharp tool or blunt instrument?
Time
12.30-2pm
Location
Adam Auditorium, City Gallery - Te Whare Toi, Te Ngākau Civic Square, Wellington
New Zealand has seen dramatic changes in minimum wage policies since 2000. The adult minimum wage has increased 75 percent in CPI-adjusted real terms. In this seminar, we discuss the motivations for minimum wages, the changes over time, and how they have affected workers' outcomes. Surprisingly, it is hard to find a clear statement of what minimum wage policies aim to achieve. Is a minimum wage policy as effective as claimed by its supporters, or as damaging as claimed by its critics?
New research by Motu Research looks at the changes and impacts of the Statutory Minimum Wage (MW) in Aotearoa New Zealand over the past 20 years. Dean Hyslop will share some of the research findings followed by a panel discussion and an opportunity for Q & A. View the related Working Paper here.
Presenter: Dean Hyslop - Senior Fellow at Motu Research.
Panelists: Bill Rosenberg, Commissioner at the New Zealand Productivity Commission and Eric Crampton, Chief Economist at The New Zealand Initiative
Motu Public Policy Seminars are free to the public.