Experimental Estimates of the Impact of Wage Subsidies

The effects of a wage subsidy program on the duration of insured unemployment are investigated using experimental data. Participation in the experiment was voluntary and about one third of the subjects refused to take the subsidy voucher offered to them. Because subsidies appear to have stigmatic effects which tend to lower participation rates by high-skilled workers, experimental participants have longer average durations of unemployment than non-participants. However, correcting for self-selection, we find that wage subsidies can substantially increase a participant's probability of reemployment. Subsidies are also compared to a search bonus proposal which is also cost effective, but, due to differences in participation patterns, has rather different effects.