levo

Microeconomics: The Labour Market

Supply of labour and wage elasticity of supply

  • 4 things to know
  • Component 01

Overview

Recall questions on influences on the supply of labour, net advantages, the individual's hours decision, and calculating and explaining wage elasticity of supply.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started
Key term

Why does the supply of labour to an industry normally rise as the wage rate rises?

Key term

Name four influences on the supply of labour to an industry other than the wage rate.

Key term

Why is the supply of labour to supermarket shelf-stacking highly wage-elastic?

Key term

An occupation removes a costly licensing requirement for new entrants. What happens to the supply of labour to it?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    Why does the supply of labour to an industry normally rise as the wage rate rises?

    Model answer

    A higher wage makes work in that industry more attractive relative to leisure and to other occupations, so more people offer their labour to it.

  2. 2

    Name four influences on the supply of labour to an industry other than the wage rate.

    Model answer

    The size and age structure of the population, net migration, the qualifications and training the work requires, and the non-monetary characteristics of the job.

  3. 3

    What are the net advantages of a job?

    Model answer

    They are the non-wage benefits and drawbacks of a job, such as security, holidays, status, danger and working hours, which workers weigh alongside the pay.

  4. 4

    An occupation removes a costly licensing requirement for new entrants. What happens to the supply of labour to it?

    Model answer

    Supply increases and the supply curve shifts to the right, because the barrier to entering the occupation has been lowered.

  5. 5

    Why can a pay rise in a competing occupation reduce the supply of labour to an industry?

    Model answer

    Workers with transferable skills move to the better-paid alternative, so at every wage fewer are willing to work in the original industry and its supply curve shifts left.

  6. 6

    Explain why an individual worker might supply fewer hours when the hourly wage rises.

    Model answer

    Above a certain wage the income effect can outweigh the substitution effect: the worker can reach a target income in fewer hours and chooses to take some of the gain as extra leisure.

Other ways to work this

The same content, four other ways.

What is inside Levo

Six ways to work the same material.

1Closed book
2Open book
3Closed book

The 3-step method, run for you

Answer cold, learn it, then prove it stuck. Levo tracks the jump between your first attempt and your last.

Introduction to Microeconomics
Microeconomics: The Role of Markets
Microeconomics: Business Objectives
Microeconomics: Market Structures

Cram a whole paper in one sitting

Sort every topic into what you know and what you do not, then drill only the weak ones.

An of demand.
extensionincreaseelasticity

Blank Blitz makes facts automatic

Rapid timed gap-fills on the terms and numbers you need to recall without thinking.

AAt 0% nothing is levied at all.
BAt 100% there is no reward left for the taxed activity.
CThe activity ceases and there is nothing to tax.

Build It gets the exam shape right

Assemble a full-mark answer from its marking points, in the order an examiner wants them.

Economic growth means an increase in real output over a period.
TrueFalse

Test It catches misconceptions

Spot the fault in a statement. The traps are the mistakes students actually make.

721941163128510

Brain Breaks between sessions

Short focus games to reset attention, so the next set lands better than the last.

Every question in Microeconomics: The Labour Market, on a schedule.

Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.

Or £46 a year, about £3.83 a month. Cancel anytime.