Question

In: Economics

What happens to the equilibrium level of labor and wages after a decline in the level...

  1. What happens to the equilibrium level of labor and wages after a decline in the level of technology? Use both the firm’s one period profit maximization problem and the labor market graph to illustrate your answer.

(please post a graph for reference)

Solutions

Expert Solution

When labor is an input to production, firms hire workers. Firms are demand labor and workers provide it at a price called the wage rate. Colloquially, “wages” refer to just the dollar amount paid to a worker, but in economics, it refers to total compensation.

The marginal benefit of hiring an additional unit of labor is called the marginal product of labor: it is the additional revenue generated from the last unit of labor. In theory, as with other inputs to production, firms will hire workers until the wage rate (marginal cost) equals the marginal revenue product of labor (marginal benefit).

Changes in Supply and Demand

In competitive markets, the demand curve for labor is the same as the marginal revenue curve. Thus, shifts in the demand for labor are a function of changes in the marginal product of labor. This can occur for a number of reasons. First of all, you can imagine that a new product or company is created that represents new demand for labor of a certain type. There are also three main factors that would shift the labor demand curve:

  1. Technology which affects the output of a unit of labor.
  2. Changes in the price of the output which affect the value of the unit of labor.
  3. Changes in the price of labor relative to other factors of production.

In the long run, the supply of labor is a function of the population. A decrease in the supply of labor will typically cause an increase in the wage rate. The fact that a reduction in supply tends to strengthen wages explains why unions and other professional associations have often sought to limit the number of workers in their particular industry. Physicians, for example, have a financial incentive to enforce rigorous training, licensing, and certification requirements in order to limit the number of practitioners and keep the labor supply low.

Wage Rate in the Long Run: In the long run the supply of labor is fixed and demand is downward-sloping. The wage rate is determined by their intersection.


Related Solutions

What happens to the equilibrium level of labor and wages after a decline in the level...
What happens to the equilibrium level of labor and wages after a decline in the level of technology? Use both the firm’s one period profit maximization problem and the labor market graph to illustrate your answer.
4) What happens to employment and wages in a Recession? What labor group is disproportionately affected...
4) What happens to employment and wages in a Recession? What labor group is disproportionately affected by recessions? What happens to bankruptcies in a Recession? What happens to housing prices in a Recession?
what happens to the equilibrium level of GDP if all the individuals in this experimental economy...
what happens to the equilibrium level of GDP if all the individuals in this experimental economy decide to spend less and save more? what effect does this have on the actual level of total saving in future onwards?
Question 3. Consider the market for labor. Explain what happens to the equilibrium wage and the...
Question 3. Consider the market for labor. Explain what happens to the equilibrium wage and the equilibrium labor employed in each of the following events. a. Firms decrease the use of machines that labor work with. b. Population decreases. c. Demand for the firm’s product decreases. d. Price of the firm’s product increases.
What happens to the market clearing wage and equilibrium employment if the demand for labor increases?...
What happens to the market clearing wage and equilibrium employment if the demand for labor increases? What happens to the market clearing wage and equilibrium employment if the supply of labor increases? What happens to the market clearing wage and equilibrium employment if the demand and supply of labor increases? What happens to the equilibrium wage and equilibrium employment of a given firm if the demand for product increases? What happens to the equilibrium wage and equilibrium employment of a...
(a) Using the Aggregate Demand (AD) model diagram, illustrate what happens to the equilibrium level of...
(a) Using the Aggregate Demand (AD) model diagram, illustrate what happens to the equilibrium level of aggregate output when the Federal Reserve (Fed) engages in a tightening of monetary policy. Make sure you properly label all the axes and curves. (b) Would the Federal Reserve be more likely to engage in a tightening of monetary policy during an expansion or recession? Explain in one sentence. (c) Has the Federal Reserve recently (past 1-2 months) been engaging in a tightening of...
Illustrate graphically the determination of the equilibrium level of both employment and money wages in the...
Illustrate graphically the determination of the equilibrium level of both employment and money wages in the classical system. Explain how the schedules in your graph are described.
1. Using the Aggregate Demand (AD) model diagram, illustrate what happens to the equilibrium level of...
1. Using the Aggregate Demand (AD) model diagram, illustrate what happens to the equilibrium level of aggregate output when firms start to feel more optimistic about the future and increase their investment. (Hint: What happens to the IS curve?) Make sure you properly label all the axes and curves. Will this lead more likely to an expansion or recession? 2. Using the Aggregate Demand (AD) model diagram, illustrate what happens to the equilibrium level of aggregate output when the Federal...
Imagine the market for coffee beans in equilibrium. What happens to the equilibrium price and equilibrium...
Imagine the market for coffee beans in equilibrium. What happens to the equilibrium price and equilibrium quantity when the consumers expect the price of coffee beans to increase in the near future? Imagine the market for donuts is in equilibrium. What happens to the equilibrium price and equilibrium quantity when the price of sugar increases? Imagine the market for mobile calling/data plans is in equilibrium. What happens to the equilibrium price and quantity when the price of smart phones decreases...
as wages go up, what happens to opportunity cost of leisure
as wages go up, what happens to opportunity cost of leisure
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT