The young statistician’s grant was awarded to Birgit Hänilane

Birgit Hänilane defended her Master’s thesis “The Impact of the Minimum Wage on Employment in Estonia” at the School of Business and Governance of the Tallinn University of Technology. The aim of the thesis was to evaluate whether the quick increase in minimum wage in 2013–2016 has had an impact on the employment of low-wage earners.

According to Kaja Sõstra, the head of the competition panel and of the Methodology and Analysis Department of Statistics Estonia, it was difficult to choose among the four research papers submitted for the competition, as each paper had strong qualities. The winning paper received high marks for its systematic and logical presentation of methodology and the applicability of results. “Birgit’s thesis has significant practical value, as by two methods it is shown that the quick increase in minimum wage can have a negative effect on the employment of low-wage earners”, explained Ms Sõstra. She added that the paper also provides ideas to Statistics Estonia on how to analyse the impact of the minimum wage in the future.

Birgit Hänilane’s research paper can be viewed on the website of Statistics Estonia. The thesis was supervised by Visiting Lecturer Simona Ferraro and Visiting Professor Tairi Rõõm of the Tallinn University of Technology.

The young statistician’s grant named after Albert Pullerits was awarded for the first time in 2011 to celebrate the 90th anniversary of Estonian statistics. Student papers that develop or implement a statistical method can be submitted for the grant competition.

The aim of the grant is to promote statistics as a very important branch of science, to motivate young people interested in statistics to apply and develop statistical methods, as well as to strengthen Statistics Estonia’s collaboration with research institutions. This year, the winner was awarded an iPad.

Albert Pullerits was the first director of the Estonian State Central Bureau of Statistics established in 1921 and the founder of the official statistical system in Estonia.