Dude, where's my (summer) job? Minimum wages and student employment

Abstract

We use rich administrative data to study employment and income during a period of minimum wage growth in Washington State for a group of workers who may be particularly sensitive to changes in the minimum wage: college students. Using a within‐student estimator and quarterly work records, we consistently find that rising minimum wages are associated with reduced summer employment, the quarter in which students tend to work the most. Students experiencing the largest reductions in employment are those with little or no work experience and non‐local students. This is partially mitigated by students working more during the academic year.