RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Effects of the Affordable Care Act on Part-Time Employment
JF Journal of Human Resources
JO J Hum Resour
FD University of Wisconsin Press
SP 1394
OP 1423
DO 10.3368/jhr.57.4.0718-9623R2
VO 57
IS 4
A1 Marcus Dillender
A1 Carolyn J. Heinrich
A1 Susan Houseman
YR 2022
UL http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/57/4/1394.abstract
AB The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires employers with at least 50 full-timeequivalent 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.