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Compliance with legal minimum wages and overtime pay regulations in China

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  • Linxiang Ye
  • TH Gindling
  • Shi Li

Abstract

We use a matched firm-employee data set to examine the extent of compliance with minimum wage and overtime pay regulations in Chinese formal sector firms. We find evidence that there is broad compliance with legal minimum wages in China; fewer than 3.5% of full-time workers earn less than the legal monthly minimum wage. On the other hand, we find evidence that there is substantial non-compliance with overtime pay regulations; almost 29% of the employees who work overtime are not paid any additional wage for overtime hours, and 70% are paid less than the legally-required 1.5 times the regular wage. JEL codes: J3, J8, O17 Copyright Ye et al. 2015

Suggested Citation

  • Linxiang Ye & TH Gindling & Shi Li, 2015. "Compliance with legal minimum wages and overtime pay regulations in China," IZA Journal of Labor & Development, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 4(1), pages 1-35, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:izaldv:v:4:y:2015:i:1:p:1-35:10.1186/s40175-015-0038-2
    DOI: 10.1186/s40175-015-0038-2
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Ritchie, Felix & Veliziotis, Michail & Drew, Hilary & Whittard, Damian, 2017. "Measuring compliance with minimum wages," Journal of Economic and Social Measurement, IOS Press, issue 3-4, pages 249-270.
    3. Ma, Shuang & Li, Xuan & Wu, Xi, 2024. "Minimum wage and internal labor migration: Evidence from China," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 226(C).
    4. Mayneris, Florian & Poncet, Sandra & Zhang, Tao, 2018. "Improving or disappearing: Firm-level adjustments to minimum wages in China," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 20-42.
    5. Fan, Haichao & Lin, Faqin & Tang, Lixin, 2018. "Minimum Wage and Outward FDI from China," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 1-19.
    6. Ren, Yanjun & Peng, Yanling & Campos, Bente Castro & Li, Houjian, 2021. "Higher minimum wage, better labour market returns for rural migrants? Evidence from China," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 34(1), pages 1814-1835.
    7. Tobias Haepp & Carl Lin, 2017. "How Does the Minimum Wage Affect Firm Investments in Fixed and Human Capital? Evidence from China," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(4), pages 1057-1080, November.
    8. Uma Rani, 2017. "Minimum Wage Policies and Their Effects in Developing Countries: A Comparative Perspective," The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, Springer;The Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE), vol. 60(1), pages 33-55, March.
    9. Ernest Dautovic & Harald Hau & Yi Huang, 2017. "The Consumption Response to Minimum Wages: Evidence from Chinese Households," IHEID Working Papers 01-2017, Economics Section, The Graduate Institute of International Studies.
    10. Shengyue Fan & Chenxi Zhao & Shuai Zha, 2022. "Analysis of the Impact of Policy Instruments on Payment for Grasslands Ecosystem Services (PGES) Implementation: A Case Study from Northwest China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-15, October.
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    13. Dionne Pohler & Chris Riddell, 2019. "Multinationals’ Compliance with Employment Law: An Empirical Assessment Using Administrative Data from Ontario, 2004 to 2015," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 72(3), pages 606-635, May.
    14. Andrea Garnero, 2018. "The dog that barks doesn’t bite: coverage and compliance of sectoral minimum wages in Italy," IZA Journal of Labor Policy, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 7(1), pages 1-24, December.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    China; Labor protection regulations; Minimum wages; Overtime pay; Compliance;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J3 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs
    • J8 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Standards
    • O17 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Formal and Informal Sectors; Shadow Economy; Institutional Arrangements

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