Increases, Because Firms Are More Likely To Lay-Off Workers When Demand Is Low
Increases, Because Firms Are More Likely To Lay-Off Workers When Demand Is Low
Increases, Because Firms Are More Likely To Lay-Off Workers When Demand Is Low
I. T/F/U
1. True. If prices are expected to increase, FED can decrease nominal money supply
(contractionary monetary policy), which will cause prices to go down (since
output cannot change).
2. False. During periods of high unemployment, the probability of losing ones job
increases, because firms are more likely to lay-off workers when demand is low;
firms do not need to hold on to workers because it is easy to find replacements,
since the pool of unemployed candidates is large. However, the probability of
finding a job if unemployed decreases. This is precisely because in times of high
unemployment more people are looking for jobs, and there are fewer vacancies
due to low demand.
3. False. The data show that total entry into and out of the labor force in any given
month is about ten times the number of new entrants and retirees.
4. False. The unemployment rate is a stock variable; it does not tell us about flows
into and out of unemployment. Even if the unemployment rate remains constant,
it is not necessarily the same people who are unemployed each month. In fact, in
any given month, 25 percent of the unemployed find a job.
7. False. Non-unionized workers most likely have some bargaining power (as a
result of bilateral bargaining arrangement). It is costly for employers to replace
workers, since they have to spend time and effort to find qualified candidates.
Additionaly, employers incur training costs. This gives current employees some
degree of bargaining power, which depends on the internal conditions in the
economy and the amount of skill required for the job.
8. False. Higher minimum wages can only help increase unemployment. If
minimum wage is binding (employers would have otherwise paid lower wages),
employers would hire fewer workers than otherwise, which will increase the
unemployment rate. If minimum wage is not binding, it has no effect on the
unemployment rate. Minimum wage will usually be binding in the low skill labor
market, in which most of the young people participate.
10. Efficiency wage hypothesis is the only reason why high-tech firms pay more than
McDonalds.
False. High-tech firms pay more because they employ high-tech employees. The
value added by high-tech employees is much higher than the value added by low
skill workers. Alternatively, the demand for high-tech employees is high, while
the supply of high-tech employees is low. The reverse is true for the low-skill
jobs, like McDonalds. This leads to a higher wage in the primary labor market
(high-tech jobs) as compared to the secondary labor market (McDonalds jobs).
Suppose that the firms markup over costs is 10%, and that the wage determination
equation W = P(1-u), where u is the unemployment rate.
W 1
(a) The price-setting equation is = .
P 1+
W
Rearranging gives P = (1 + )W . So in this case: P = 1.1W or = .909
P
W
(b) Since both price-setting ( = .909 ) and wage-determination (W = P(1-u)) must
P
be satisfied, we have .909 = 1- u. So u = 1-.909 = .091
W
(c) Price setting: P = (1 + )W ; in this case: P = 1.2W. = .833
P
.833 = 1- u. So u = .167.
When firms set a higher markup over costs and labor is the only cost, the real
wage must fall as shown by the price-setting equation. We also know that a
higher unemployment rate (more slack in the labor market) is a requirement for a
a lower real wage, as shown by the wage-determination relation. Together, these
relations imply that a greater markup over costs will result in a rise in the natural
rate of unemployment.