| Sumario: | Before the introduction of a statutory, nationwide minimum wage in Germany in 2015, labour market economics largely agreed that this 'social experiment' would come at the cost of significant job losses. However, accompanying research on the implementation of the minimum wage failed to confirm the predicted employment losses. As seen in all countries where minimum wages exist and are studied, researchers had to acknowledge the 'elusiveness of employment effects' in Germany as well. This paper traces the debate surrounding the introduction of the minimum wage and analyses the scientific community's response to the discrepancy between actual employment trends and model-based forecasts—an issue that, from the perspective of the philosophy of science, can be understood as an 'anomaly' or 'crisis'. The object of inquiry is not the minimum wage itself, but the scientific conduct of economists confronted with evidence at odds with their paradigm. Drawing on Ludwik Fleck's theory of thought styles, the analysis distinguishes between two phases: the initial introduction of the minimum wage and the drastic increase in 2022. This distinction allows for an examination of both learning processes and the resilience of a prevailing paradigm.
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