GLOBAL LABOR MARKET

Global labor market

Global labor market

Introduction

Work is a part of life for almost all people around the world. Though the types of work people do and the conditions under which that work is done vary endlessly, people get up each morning and choose to use their human capital in ways that generate some sort of productive good or service or that help prepare them to be productive economic citizens in the future. Some of this work is done in the privacy of the home, where beds are made, children are raised, and lawns are mowed. While this unpaid productive activity is essential to a well-functioning economy, this chapter addresses work time and skills that are sold in markets in exchange for wages and other compensation (Rosen, 2006).

That said, several characteristics of labor as a resource create complexities. First, the demand for any type of labor services is derived from, or dependent on, the demand for the final product that it is used to produce. This means that highly trained and productive workers are only as important in production in an economy as there is demand for the product they produce. Second, because labor cannot be separated from the particular persons who deliver the resource, the scope of responses to labor market decisions is broad and affects outcomes in significant ways. The sale of labor services generates the majority of household income around the world—income that is used to sustain workers and their families.

This means that labor markets determine, to a large extent, what resources a household has available and thus the quality of life for the members of the household. Decisions become very complex when workers and their families begin considering not only job market choices but also market education and training that might be required to prepare individuals for specific occupations.

Labor Demand

Employers seek workers based on workplace needs and based on the demand for the good or service being produced. In addition to the market wage, employers consider the productivity of labor, the ability to substitute across other inputs in the production process, and the prices of other inputs when making hiring decisions.

Labor productivity is determined by a variety of factors, including human capital investments made by the worker himself or herself or the employer, skills and talents, and the quantity of capital and technology that the worker has at his or her disposal. As might be assumed, the greater the investment made in an individual worker, the greater his or her productivity. Like with any other investment opportunity, the investor spends money now (e.g., gets a master's degree in social work or an MBA), hoping to reap the benefits, in terms of greater income earning potential, in the future (Nelson, 2003).

Understanding these sorts of trade-offs is very important for a firm; as the prices of inputs (junior and senior account managers or callers and phones) change, the employer will want to shift the input mix so that output is produced as efficiently and cheaply as ...