Workers: choice of occupation, wages, mobility and division of labour

Learning objectives

Explain the wage factors and the non-wage factors that influence an individual when choosing an occupation

Analyse how wages are determined by the demand for and supply of labour, by the relative bargaining power of trade unions and employers, and by government policy

Draw and interpret labour market diagrams showing the effect of a change in the demand for or supply of labour and of a national minimum wage

Explain why wages differ between skilled and unskilled workers, between the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors, between the private and public sectors, and between male and female workers

Distinguish the occupational mobility of labour from its geographical mobility, and explain what makes each rise or fall and what follows for workers, firms and the economy

Define the division of labour and discuss its advantages and disadvantages for workers, firms and the economy