We examine the effects of employee and employer social security contributions (SSCs) on labor cost, hours of work, and labor cost per hour, using a long running panel dataset that allows us to exploit 35 years of policy reforms in the United Kingdom. We find that reductions in marginal rates of employee – but not employer – SSCs have positive effects on labor cost that operate through hours of work, while labor cost falls much more when average employer SSCs rates are reduced than when average employee SSCs rates are reduced, with most of this differential effect coming through reductions in hourly labor cost. We interpret this as evidence that employees change their hours in response to SSCs, but that in the short- to medium-run at least, the formal incidence of SSCs can matter for their behavioral impacts and economic incidence.
Authors
![Stuart Adam](/sites/default/files/styles/square_desktop/public/2022-06/Stuart_Adam.jpg?itok=WhMGYiwy)
Senior Economist
Stuart is a Senior Economist working in the Tax sector, and focuses on analysing the design of the tax and benefit system.
![David Phillips](/sites/default/files/styles/square_desktop/public/2022-06/David_Phillips.jpg?itok=wr3uc1L2)
Associate Director
David is Head of Devolved and Local Government Finance. He also works on tax in developing countries as part of our TaxDev centre.
![Barra Roantree](/sites/default/files/styles/square_desktop/public/2023-11/Barra%20website.jpg?itok=6oBUEvNz)
Research Fellow Trinity College Dublin
Barra is a Research Fellow at IFS and Assistant Professor of Economics at Trinity College Dublin.
Journal article details
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2018.05.010
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- JEL
- H22 H24 H25 J20 J30
- Issue
- Volume 171, Issue March 2019, July 2018, pages 29-50
Suggested citation
S, Adam and D, Phillips and B, Roantree. (2018). '35 years of reforms: A panel analysis of the incidence of, and employee and employer responses to, social security contributions in the UK' 171(March 2019/2018), pp.29–50.
More from IFS
Understand this issue
![Microphone](/sites/default/files/styles/square_desktop/public/2024-06/Microphone.jpg?itok=soM7Wvbz)
Election Special: Your questions answered
27 June 2024
![Interview](/sites/default/files/styles/square_desktop/public/2024-06/1.jpg?itok=mjderngL)
Election Special: The big issues politicians haven't spoken about
25 June 2024
![Kier Starmer](/sites/default/files/styles/square_desktop/public/2024-06/Lab1.jpg?itok=43eIsvgM)
Election Special: The Labour manifesto explained
14 June 2024
Policy analysis
![Welsh town with mountains behind](/sites/default/files/styles/square_desktop/public/2024-06/Welsh-town-feature.jpg?itok=5axb5wZn)
How would the parties’ tax and spending plans affect Scotland and Wales?
28 June 2024
![Polling station](/sites/default/files/styles/square_desktop/public/2024-06/Polling-station-school.jpg?itok=uS-l6b-1)
What are the parties’ plans for benefits and taxes?
24 June 2024
![Shopping street](/sites/default/files/styles/square_desktop/public/2024-06/Street-scene-.jpg?itok=R39cR6Xp)
How do the last five years measure up on levelling up?
19 June 2024
Academic research
![Working paper cover](/sites/default/files/styles/portrait/public/2024-06/WP202428-The-impact-of%20labour-demand-shocks-when-occupational-labour-supplies-are-heterogeneous.jpg?itok=Erq9-V9O)
The impact of labour demand shocks when occupational labour supplies are heterogeneous
28 June 2024
![Working Paper Cover](/sites/default/files/styles/portrait/public/2024-04/WP202413-Labour-market-inequality-and-the-changing-life-cycle-profile-of-male-and-female-wages_Page_001.jpg?itok=FGFp0iFj)
Labour market inequality and the changing life cycle profile of male and female wages
15 April 2024
![Working Paper Cover](/sites/default/files/styles/portrait/public/2024-04/WP202414-Interpreting-cohort-profiles-of-lifecycle-earnings-volatility_Page_01.jpg?itok=PhiPLJpT)
Interpreting cohort profiles of lifecycle earnings volatility
15 April 2024