Are companies responding to minimum wage increases by reducing corporate social responsibility?
2025

Impact of Minimum Wage Increases on Corporate Social Responsibility

Sample size: 16450 publication 10 minutes Evidence: high

Author Information

Author(s): Wang Hao, Zhang Tao, Wang Xi

Primary Institution: Macao Polytechnic University

Hypothesis

How do minimum wage increases affect corporate social responsibility (CSR) investments?

Conclusion

Minimum wage increases are associated with a reduction in both strategic and responsive CSR, with responsive CSR being affected more significantly.

Supporting Evidence

  • Minimum wage increases lead to a significant reduction in CSR investments.
  • Firms with higher customer concentration are less responsive to minimum wage increases in their CSR activities.
  • Industries with higher CSR sensitivity are more likely to maintain CSR investments despite rising costs.

Takeaway

When minimum wages go up, companies often spend less on their social responsibility efforts, especially on short-term projects.

Methodology

The study used fixed-effects models for panel data analysis of Chinese A-share listed companies from 2010 to 2020.

Limitations

The study's data is limited to publicly listed companies in China and does not account for the impact of COVID-19.

Participant Demographics

Chinese A-share listed companies.

Statistical Information

P-Value

p<0.01

Statistical Significance

p<0.01

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1371/journal.pone.0313225

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