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Hamersma study on hiring subsidies and job duration published in Economic Inquiry

Jun 30, 2011

Sarah Hamersma headshot

Sarah Hamersma


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.