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An Economist's View On The Common Construction Wage

The bill repealing the common construction wage, a kind of minimum wage for public construction projects, is heading to the governor's desk.

This is a topic that will have consequences for years to come, but people have very different views about what those consequences are.

Those who opposed the repeal say doing so will hurt construction workers' families and create a labor shortage. Supporters of repealing the wage say it will save taxpayers money.

So, we asked Indiana Business Research Center Director of Economic Analysis Timothy Slaper whether those claims were true.

Watch the video or read the transcript below to learn what he said:

This transcript has been edited for clarity and conciseness:

Host Joe Hren: Will repealing the common construction wage save taxpayers money?

Timothy Slaper: That is undermined because they have a new provision in it that has e-verify [the system to check a worker's legal status]. You have to remember the thing driving much of the construction costs and wages is illegal immigration. If you stop cash payments and e-verify, you might find it's actually a net benefit to many of the labor occupations.

Hren: If money is saved, exactly how much are we talking about?

Slaper: Depending on what study, about 10 percent to 12 percent.

Hren: Is a labor shortage a possibility?

Slaper: Across the board, no, there wouldn't be. In the lower skilled, you're going to see there's no shortage there. Would there be a shortage in crane operators or electricians? Quite possibly, but the market does work and if you pay those people well enough, it makes all the sense in the world to get the training you would need for one of those jobs.

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