CHAPTER

28 In this chapter,
look for the answers to these questions:

Unemployment ▪ How is unemployment measured?

▪ What is the “natural rate of unemployment”?

Economics ▪ Why are there always some people unemployed?

PRINCIPLES OF

▪ How is unemployment affected by unions and

N. Gregory Mankiw minimum wage laws?
▪ What is the theory of efficiency wages, and how
does it help explain unemployment?
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Labor Force Statistics Labor Force Statistics

▪ Produced by Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), BLS divides population into 3 groups:
in the U.S. Dept. of Labor ▪ Employed: paid employees, self-employed,
▪ Based on regular survey of 60,000 households and unpaid workers in a family business
▪ Based on “adult population” (16 yrs or older) ▪ Unemployed: people not working who have
looked for work during previous 4 weeks
▪ Not in the labor force: everyone else
The labor force is the total # of workers, including
the employed and unemployed.

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Labor Force Statistics ACTIVE LEARNING 1

Calculate labor force statistics
Unemployment rate (“u-rate”):
% of the labor force that is unemployed Compute the labor force, u-rate, adult population,
and labor force participation rate using this data:
# of unemployed
u-rate = 100 x
labor force Adult population of the U.S.
by group, June 2008
Labor force participation rate:
# of employed 145.9 million
% of the adult population that is in the labor force
# of unemployed 8.5 million
labor force labor force
= 100 x
participation rate adult population not in labor force 79.2 million

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 ACTIVE LEARNING 1 ACTIVE LEARNING 1
Answers Answers
Labor force = employed + unemployed Population = labor force + not in labor force
= 145.9 + 8.5 = 154.4 + 79.2
= 154.4 million = 233.6

U-rate = 100 x (unemployed)/(labor force) LF partic. rate = 100 x (labor force)/(population)

= 100 x 8.5/154.4 = 100 x 154.4/233.6
= 5.5% = 66.1%

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Labor Market Statistics for Different Groups Labor Market Statistics for Whites & Blacks,
June 2008
▪ The BLS publishes these statistics for
demographic groups within the population. Adults (20 yrs & older)
▪ These data reveal widely different labor market u-rate LF part. rate
experiences for different groups.
White, male 4.5% 76.1%

White, female 4.2 60.4

Black, male 9.3 71.5

Black, female 7.4 64.3

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Labor Market Statistics for Whites & Blacks, Labor Market Statistics for Other Groups,
June 2008 June 2008

Teens (16-19 yrs) All ages

u-rate LF part. rate u-rate LF part. rate

White 16.6 43.9 Asian 4.5 67.4

Black 29.6 27.9 Hispanic 7.7 69.0

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 Labor Market Statistics by Education Level, LF Participation Rates by Sex, 1950-2007
June 2008
90
Adults (25 yrs & older)
80
u-rate LF part. rate Men
70
less than h.s. 8.7% 45.9%
60
h.s. diploma 5.1 62.8 50
some college or Women
4.2 71.9 40
assoc degree
30
bachelor’s
2.3 78.1
degree or more 20
1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005
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ACTIVE LEARNING 2 ACTIVE LEARNING 2

Limitations of the u-rate Answers
In each of the following, what happens to the u-rate? A. Sue lost her job and begins looking for a new one.
Does the u-rate give an accurate impression of what’s
u-rate rises
happening in the labor market?
A. Sue lost her job and begins looking for a new one. A rising u-rate gives the impression that the labor
market is worsening, and it is.
B. Jon, a steelworker who has been out of work since
his mill closed last year, becomes discouraged and
gives up looking for work.
C. Sam, the sole earner in his family of 5, just lost his
$80,000 job as a research scientist. Immediately,
he takes a part-time job at McDonald’s until he can
find another job in his field.
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ACTIVE LEARNING 2 ACTIVE LEARNING 2

Answers Answers
B. Jon has been out of work since last year, C. Sam lost his $80,000 job, and takes a part-time
becomes discouraged, stops looking for work. job at McDonald’s until he finds a better one.
Discouraged workers U-rate unchanged because a person is “employed”
▪ would like to work but have given up looking for jobs whether they work full or part time.
▪ classified as “not in the labor force” rather than Things are worse, but the u-rate fails to show it.
“unemployed”
U-rate falls because Jon is no longer counted as
unemployed.
A falling u-rate gives the impression that the labor
market is improving, but it is not.
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 What Does the U-Rate Really Measure? The Duration of Unemployment
▪ The u-rate is not a perfect indicator of joblessness Most spells of unemployment are short:
or the health of the labor market: ▪ Typically 1/3 of the unemployed
▪ It excludes discouraged workers. have been unemployed under 5 weeks,
2/3 have been unemployed under 14 weeks.
▪ It does not distinguish between full-time and
▪ Only 20% have been unemployed over 6 months.
part-time work, or people working part time
because full-time jobs not available. Yet, most observed unemployment is long term.
▪ Some people misreport their work status in the ▪ The small group of long-term unemployed persons
BLS survey. has fairly little turnover, so it accounts for most of
the unemployment observed over time.
▪ Despite these issues, the u-rate is still a very
useful barometer of the labor market & economy. Knowing these facts helps policymakers design
better policies to help the unemployed.

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Cyclical Unemployment vs. the Natural Rate U.S. Unemployment, 1960-2007

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There’s always some unemployment, though the
u-rate fluctuates from year to year. Unemployment rate
percentage of labor force

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Natural rate of unemployment
▪ the normal rate of unemployment around which 8

the actual unemployment rate fluctuates

6
Cyclical unemployment
▪ the deviation of unemployment from its 4 Natural rate of
natural rate unemployment
2
▪ associated with business cycles,
which we’ll study in later chapters
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1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005
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Explaining the Natural Rate: An Overview Job Search

Even when the economy is doing well, there is ▪ Workers have different tastes & skills, and
always some unemployment, including: jobs have different requirements.
▪ Job search is the process of matching workers
Frictional unemployment
with appropriate jobs.
▪ occurs when workers spend time searching for the
jobs that best suit their skills and tastes ▪ Sectoral shifts are changes in the composition of
demand across industries or regions of the country.
▪ short-term for most workers
▪ Such shifts displace some workers,
Structural unemployment who must search for new jobs appropriate
▪ occurs when there are fewer jobs than workers for their skills & tastes.
▪ usually longer-term
▪ The economy is always changing,
so some frictional unemployment is inevitable.
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 Public Policy and Job Search Unemployment Insurance
▪ Govt employment agencies ▪ Unemployment insurance (UI):
provide information about job vacancies to speed a govt program that partially protects workers’
up the matching of workers with jobs. incomes when they become unemployed
▪ Public training programs ▪ UI increases frictional unemployment.
aim to equip workers displaced from declining To see why, recall one of the
industries with the skills needed in growing Ten Principles of Economics:
industries. People respond to incentives.
UI benefits end when a worker takes a job,
so workers have less incentive to search or
take jobs while eligible to receive benefits.

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Unemployment Insurance Explaining Structural Unemployment

Benefits of UI:
Structural unemp-
▪ Reduces uncertainty over incomes unemployment W loyment S
actual
▪ Gives the unemployed more time to search, occurs when not W1
wage
resulting in better job matches and thus higher enough jobs to
productivity go around. WE
Occurs when wage
is kept above eq’m.
There are three
reasons for this… D
L

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1. Minimum-Wage Laws 2. Unions

▪ The min. wage may exceed the eq’m wage ▪ Union: a worker association that bargains with
for the least skilled or experienced workers, employers over wages, benefits, and working
causing structural unemployment. conditions
▪ But this group is a small part of the labor force, ▪ Unions exert their market power to negotiate
so the min. wage can’t explain most higher wages for workers.
unemployment.
▪ The typical union worker earns 20% higher
wages and gets more benefits than a nonunion
worker for the same type of work.

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 2. Unions 2. Unions
▪ When unions raise the wage above eq’m, Are unions good or bad? Economists disagree.
quantity of labor demanded falls and ▪ Critics:
unemployment results. Unions are cartels. They raise wages above eq’m,
▪ “Insiders” – workers who remain employed, which causes unemployment and/or depresses
they are better off wages in non-union labor markets.

▪ “Outsiders” – workers who lose their jobs, ▪ Advocates:

they are worse off Unions counter the market power of large firms,
make firms more responsive to workers’ concerns.
▪ Some outsiders go to non-unionized labor
markets, which increases labor supply and
reduces wages in those markets.
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3. Efficiency Wages 3. Efficiency Wages

▪ The theory of efficiency wages: Four reasons why firms might pay efficiency wages:
Firms voluntarily pay above-equilibrium wages 1. Worker health
to boost worker productivity. In less developed countries, poor nutrition is a
▪ Different versions of efficiency wage theory common problem. Paying higher wages allows
suggest different reasons why firms pay high workers to eat better, makes them healthier,
wages. more productive.
2. Worker turnover
Hiring & training new workers is costly.
Paying high wages gives workers more
incentive to stay, reduces turnover.

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3. Efficiency Wages ACTIVE LEARNING 3

Four reasons why firms might pay efficiency wages: Applying the concepts
3. Worker quality Which of the following would be most likely to reduce
Offering higher wages attracts better job applicants, frictional unemployment?
increases quality of the firm’s workforce. A. The govt eliminates the minimum wage.

4. Worker effort B. The govt increases unemployment insurance

Workers can work hard or shirk. Shirkers are fired benefits.
if caught. Is being fired a good deterrent? C. A new law bans labor unions.
Depends on how hard it is to find another job. D. More workers post their resumes at Monster.com,
If market wage is above eq’m wage, there aren’t and more employers use Monster.com to find
enough jobs to go around, so workers have more suitable workers to hire.
incentive to work not shirk.
E. Sectoral shifts become more frequent.
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 ACTIVE LEARNING 3 ACTIVE LEARNING 3
Answers Answers
Which of the following would be most likely to reduce Which of the following would be most likely to reduce
frictional unemployment? frictional unemployment?
A. The govt eliminates the minimum wage. B. The govt increases unemployment insurance
benefits.
C. A new law bans labor unions.
E. Sectoral shifts become more frequent.
These are likely to reduce
structural unemployment, These are likely to increase
not frictional unemployment. frictional unemployment, not reduce it.

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ACTIVE LEARNING 3 Explaining the Natural Rate of

Answers Unemployment: A Summary
Which of the following would be most likely to reduce The natural rate of unemployment consists of
frictional unemployment? ▪ frictional unemployment
D. More workers post their resumes at Monster.com, ▪ It takes time to search for the right jobs
and more employers use Monster.com to find ▪ Occurs even if there are enough jobs to go around
suitable workers to hire. ▪ structural unemployment
Likely to speed up the process of ▪ When wage is above eq’m, not enough jobs
matching workers & jobs, which would ▪ Due to min. wages, labor unions, efficiency wages
reduce frictional unemployment. In later chapters, we will learn about cyclical
unemployment, the short-term fluctuations in
unemployment associated with business cycles.
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CHAPTER SUMMARY CHAPTER SUMMARY

▪ The unemployment rate is the percentage of those ▪ The natural rate includes frictional unemployment
who would like to work who do not have jobs. and structural unemployment.
▪ Unemployment and labor force participation vary ▪ Frictional unemployment occurs when workers
widely across demographic groups. take time to search for the right jobs.
▪ The natural rate of unemployment is the normal ▪ Structural unemployment occurs when above-
rate of unemployment around which the actual rate equilibrium wages result in a surplus of labor.
fluctuates. Cyclical unemployment is the deviation
▪ Three reasons for above-equilibrium wages include
of unemployment from its natural rate and is
minimum wage laws, unions, and efficiency wages.
connected to short-term economic fluctuations.
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