1. 11 The Determination of Wage

2. the market demand and supply for the Factor.
The price of a factor of production = wage is determined by the interaction of
the market demand and supply for the Factor. S D P Q Pf Qf
No. of Factors e.g. labour

3. General equation: MRP = MR X MP
Demand = Marginal Revenue Product (MRP) 邊際生產收入 is the contribution to revenue made by the employment of an additional unit of a variable factor. e,g labour wage
General equation: MRP = MR X MP
Additional revenue by extra factor
Additional no.s of product of extra factor

4. QUESTION
What is the difference between MRP and VMP of a factor.
Why is the demand curve for a factor the same as the MRP downward sloping portion?

5. The Supply Curve of Labour Market

6. Leisure will forgone wage earning = opp cost
Choices available
Forgone leisure
Work
Leisure
Leisure will forgone wage earning = opp cost

7. Indifferent Curve Analysis:
A worker would either choose
Work or Leisure in a day
Indifferent Curve Analysis:
If there is an increase in the wage level / rate (w) there will be two effects on the work Amount (QL)

8. Indifferent curve analysis:
Income (Good)
1. Substitution effect
If W increases, a person will always
Substitute work for leisure
(wQL +Ve S.E)
 w Work amount increases
BL2
BL1
Working
hours
(Bad)
Sub. effect

9. 2. Income effect If W increases, whether a person will work
More or less depending on whether leisure is
A superior good or inferior good to him.
If leisure is superior
Increase in wage rate, work less
(wQL -ve income effect)
  Work amount decrease
Income (Good)
BL2
BL1
Working
hours
(Bad)
Sub.
Income

10. 2) If leisure is inferior  don’t like working Increase in wage rate,
work less
(w QL 
 -ve income effect)
  Work amount decreases
Income (Good)
BL2
Sub.
Working
hours
(Bad)
Income

11. Why can an individual supply curve be backward bending?

12. Backward-bending supply curve of an individual labour
Income (Good) W2 W1
Working hours (Bad)
Wages W3 W2 W1
Quantity

13. MC QUESTIONS
An individual’s labor supply curve may be backward bending because (22/94)
a) The substitution effect between work and leisure is smaller than the income effect when wage increases. wQL
b) The substitution effect between work and leisure is greater than the income effect when wage increases. wQL
c) The worker’s preference of leisure has decreased.
d) The opportunity cost of leisure increases when the wage increases.

14. The market Supply of Labour
IT can not be backward-bending.
If the industry wants to increase the Qs of labour, it must pay a higher wage to attract workers away from other industry.
So, the supply curve is upward sloping. S

15. Wage Determination in a Competitive Labour Market P.15
Both buyers (firms) & suppliers (workers) are price takers. (too small in affecting the P)
We and Qe is determined at the intersection of the demand (MRP) and supply curves.
Labour market
A firm S
Constant hire
price We
MRP=VMP D
Labour
Labour Qe

16. Test
What is the factor demand curve of a firm under a perfectly competitive factor market?

17. Supply curve of Labor in Price-taking market
In price-taking market, the market supply curve of labor is upward sloping.
But the individual firm’s supply curve of labor is horizontal.
A price-taking firm cannot affect the market wage as the wage is determined by the market demand and supply of labor. However, it can determine its own amount of labor used in production by equating
VMP = D = Wage

18. Test
An employer observes that when one employee is sick and cannot come to work, the output value will fall by $1000 per day. If two workers are sick, the output value will fall by $2500 and when three workers are sick, the output value will fall by $4500.
Suppose the wage of hiring a worker is $1600 per day
how many worker should the employer fire? Explain.
QL MRP TRP Wage Action
$ $1600 Fire
Fire
Employ
2000
1600

19. Functions of Labour Unions
To facilitate contract negotiations
To monitor employee performance
To raise the wages of their members
To raise the demand for labour
To restrict the supply of labour
To impose minimum wage rate

20. Reasons for Income Differences
Relative demand and supply
Chance-taking differentials
Differences in productivities
Compensating differentials
Types of training
Geographical differences
Age-related differences
Differences between males and females

21. Remark

22. What are the reasons for wage differential?
Assume there are two regions.
Wage in region A is initially higher than wage in region B.
If factors are allowed to mobile freely, Wa will decrease gradually while Wb will increase gradually.
Finally, Wa = Wb

23. SEARCH THEORY
Labor market is a search market. Why?
Because of imperfect information of the market, labor always attempt to search for better alternatives, so as to seek out the most favorable wage level.

24. Assume that leisure is a normal good
Assume that leisure is a normal good. Which of the following is implied by an upward sloping labour supply curve? (26/95)
Leisure and income are substitutes.
The income effect of a wage increase is smaller than the substitution effect.
There are laborers who may receive an economic rent.
All of the above.