Question

Consider a competitive labor market. Using the model of how income is determined in a labor market, describe the effects on wages and number of individuals employed of an increase in the productivity of labor in that market. What will happen and why? In your answer, be sure that you describe why the supply and demand curves are shaped as they are.
What would happen to wages and number of individuals employed in that market if new law required all businesses in that market and other markets to provide their employees a better health insurance policy? Why? Use your analysis to explain who actually pays the costs of health insurance premiums in competitive labor markets.

Answer 1

If there is an increase in labor productivity, there will be an increase in wages and an increase in individuals employed.

If better insurance policies are mandated by the government then wages and the number of people employed will both decrease.

This shows that the entity that actually pays the costs of health insurance premiums is employers.

What happens when labor productivity rises?

When there is an increase in labor productivity, employers will demand more employees in order to produce more. This will shift the labor demand curve to the right.

The new intersection of the demand curve with the supply curve will see an increase in the wage rate and in the quantity of those employed in the labor market.

What happens if better insurance policies are imposed?

If the government mandates that employers should provide better insurance policies, it means that employers will start paying more in insurance premium contributions.

This increased cost of labor will lead to employers demanding less employees which will lead to a decrease in the wage rate and in the number of those employed.

This shows that employers are mostly the ones who pay for health insurance premiums which is why an increase in these premiums will increase the cost of labor for them.

Find out more on the labor market at brainly.com/question/4389927.