In: Economics
1. PR Newswire (10/15/2020) reports that the shift to online sales caused by the pandemic is impacting the market for labor in warehousing, order fulfillment, and order delivery. Use the supply-and-demand model to explain and illustrate graphically how this change will impact the equilibrium price (wage) and quantity of labor in the warehousing, order fulfillment, and delivery market, ceteris paribus.
A demand curve or a supply curve is a relationship between two variables : quantity on the horizontal axis and price on the vertical axis. The assumption behind a demand curve or a supply curve is that no relevant economic factors, other than the product's price are changing. Economists call this assumption ceteris paribus.
Any given demand or supply curve is based on the ceteris paribus assumption that all else is held equal. We apply ceteris paribus when we observe how changes in price affect demand or supply.
The pandemic has put forwarded many uncertainties in the market for labour in warehousing, order fulfillment, and delivery market. There is an increase in the demand for online marketing. As people are afraid to go out for marketing, many has shifted to online marketing. So there is a decrease in the demand and supply of market labour, order fulfillment and delivery market.
According to ceteris paribus assumption, the equilibrium price will varies. Also the quantity of labour is decreased. The simultaneous shifts can happen in some possible ways. They are:-
(1) If the supply curve remains unchanged, and the demand curve shifts to the right, equilibrium price and quantity will increase.
(2) If supply curve remains unchanged and the demand curve shifts to the left, equilibrium price and quantity will decrease.
(3) If demand curve remains unchanged and the supply curve shifts towards the right, equilibrium price decreases and the equilibrium quantity increases.
(4) If demand curve remains unchanged and supply curve shifts towards the left, and equilibrium quantity decreases.
Therefore, the equilibrium price and quantity will vary according to the changing conditions in the demand and supply curve of the market.