Will an increase in the minimum wage create more unemployment if the supply and demand for labor are highly elastic or highly inelastic?
What will be an ideal response?
An increase in the minimum wage creates less unemployment when the supply and demand for labor are highly inelastic. If the supply and demand for labor are highly elastic, an increase in the minimum wage leads to more unemployment because the quantity of labor supplied increases significantly and the quantity of labor demanded decreases significantly. If they are inelastic, an increase in the minimum wage leads to only a small decrease in the quantity of labor demanded and only a small increase in the quantity of labor supplied, so that the resulting unemployment is not very large.
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Refer to Figure 3-2. A technological advancement would be represented by a movement from
A) A to B. B) B to A. C) S1 to S2. D) S2 to S1.
When an economist states that a firm is earning zero economic profit, this statement implies that the firm
a. will be forced out of business unless market conditions change. b. is doing as well as it could in any other line of business. c. is earning a zero rate of return on its assets. d. could earn a higher rate of return in other industries.