Seminar «Ban-the-Box Laws and Multiple Job Holding»

Speakers: Celestina Adu and Ilya Kukaev (LLMS HSE).

Theme: Ban-the-Box Laws and Multiple Job Holding: Evidence on Employment Transitions Among Young and Older Black Men.

This paper examines whether Ban-the-Box (BTB) laws affect labor market transitions for young Black and Hispanic men. Using the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), 2013–2023, and a staggered difference-in-differences design, we study transitions into employment and into multiple job holding following state-level BTB adoption. Aggregate effects on both outcomes are small and statistically insignificant. Race-specific estimates suggest employment reductions for young Black and Hispanic men without a college degree, consistent with statistical discrimination. We find no evidence that BTB increases multiple job holding (MJH) as a compensating labor market response, and no clear evidence that employers substitute toward older Black men as an alternative group. Overall, the results provide little support for the view that BTB laws generate large unintended labor supply adjustments.