Workers & Wages
Microeconomic Decision Makers · 4 question types
Exam Frequency Analysis
Past paper frequency (2018 to 2024)
This topic accounts for approximately 8% of your exam marks.
Wage determinants, minimum wage effects, and trade union impact appear regularly in Section B; typically 6 to 10 marks.
Division of labour (worker specialisation) is breaking down the production process into separate tasks, with each worker concentrating on a particular task rather than making the whole product alone.
Splitting a job into specialised tasks has clear gains, but also costs.
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Workers become skilled and faster at their single task, raising output and productivity | Repeating one task can become boring, lowering motivation and increasing mistakes |
| Less time wasted moving between tasks or tools | If one specialist worker is absent, the whole production line can be held up |
| Easier and cheaper to train a worker for one task than for the whole job | Workers have narrow skills, which can make them occupationally immobile if the job disappears |
| Allows the use of specialised machinery for each task | Standardised output gives less variety and less personal pride in the finished product |
Define division of labour (2 marks)
What comes up: "Define division of labour" is a standard 2-mark definition.
Write (two marks): (1) The breaking down of production into separate tasks. (2) Each worker concentrating on (specialising in) a particular task.
Watch out: Both halves are needed for full marks. Writing only "workers specialise" without the idea of splitting production into separate tasks, or vice versa, earns one mark.