PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Marcus Dillender AU - Carolyn J. Heinrich AU - Susan Houseman TI - Effects of the Affordable Care Act on Part-Time Employment: Early Evidence AID - 10.3368/jhr.57.4.0718-9623R2 DP - 2020 Jul 08 TA - Journal of Human Resources PG - 0718-9623R2 4099 - http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/early/2020/06/29/jhr.57.4.0718-9623R2.short 4100 - http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/early/2020/06/29/jhr.57.4.0718-9623R2.full AB - The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires employers with at least 50 full-time-equivalent employees to offer “affordable” health insurance to employees working 30 or more hours per week. Employers who do not comply may face substantial penalties, but they can circumvent the mandate by reducing employees’ weekly hours below the 30-hour threshold. We examine ACA’s effects on short-hours, part-time employment using difference-in-differences models. We find that the ACA increased low-hours, involuntary part-time employment by 500,000-700,000 workers in retail, accommodations, and food services, the industries in which employers are most likely to reduce hours if they choose to circumvent the mandate.