1. The table below describes the key elements in deriving a labor demand curve for a bakery. Complete the table and answer the following questions. Capital (K) is fixed at 1 unit.
|
Number of Workers
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Number of Loaves Baked per hour
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MP of Labor
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Price per loaf
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P x MP
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Nominal Wage Rate (W)
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Real Wage Rate (W/P)
|
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0
|
0
|
--
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$1
|
--
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$8
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$8
|
|
1
|
20
|
20
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$1
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$20
|
$8
|
$
|
|
2
|
36
|
|
$1
|
|
|
|
|
3
|
48
|
|
$1
|
|
|
|
|
4
|
56
|
|
$1
|
|
|
|
|
5
|
60
|
|
$1
|
|
|
|
|
6
|
62
|
|
$1
|
|
|
|
a. At what employment level does the firm encounter diminishing marginal returns?
b. Draw a graph of the MP of labor column. Plot the number of workers on the horizontal axis and dollars on the vertical axis. What does this curve represent?
c. How many workers will the bakery hire if the nominal wage rate is $8?
d. Suppose the price of bread increased to $2 per loaf. How many workers will the bakery hire if the nominal wage rate is $8?
2. Assume that the production function is given by Y = A K .4 L .6 where Y = National Income =GDP, K = 100, L= 400, and A = 10.
a. Calculate National Income (Y)?
b. Derive the equation for the marginal product of labor (MPL)
c. What happens to the MPL as K increases?
d. Derive the equation for the marginal product of capital (MPK)
e. What happens to the MPK as K increases?
3.In December 2005, the BLS estimated there were 7.4 million unemployed, 142.8 million employed (including 2.8 million involuntary part-time workers), 451,000 discouraged workers and 4.8 million people (including discouraged workers) who were marginally attached to the labor force.
a. Calculate the headline (U-3) unemployment rate for December 2005.
b. Calculate the unemployment rate for December 2005 if it had included among the unemployed all officially discouraged workers.
c. Calculate the unemployment rate if it had included all those who were marginally attached to the labor force?
d. Calculate the unemployment rate if it had included all those who were marginally attached to the labor force plus involuntary part-time workers.
4. Fred Data Exercise - You must do the data exercise in order to receive credit for questions 1 through 3 above.
Unemployment
1. Go to the FRED website. In the search box type in "civilian unemployment rate. Click on "seasonally adjusted." This is the U-3 measure of unemployment. Not surprisingly, unemployment increases during recessions. Based on the graph (no need to print), how high did unemployment get in the 1981 recession? How about the last recession?
2. In the search box type in "Civilian Labor Force Participation Rate". Next click on "Civilian Labor Force Participation Rate". Graph "seasonally adjusted". Define the Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR) and describe the overall pattern from 1960 through 2015.
3. The graph starts in 1950. Use the slider under the graph to start the graph in 1990. Why do you think the LFPR has been declining since 2000?
4. Click on "Add Series". Search for Civilian Labor Force Participation Rate: 25 to 54 years. Add series. Now click on "edit series for 25 to 54 and click "right" for Y-Axis position. Print the graph.
5. How would you respond to the argument that the LFPR is declining because "babyboomers" are retiring.
6. The Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR) in January 2008 was 66.23%. In June 2015 the LFPR had decreased to 62.65%, the unemployment rate was 5.3%, the adult population was 250,663 (thousand) and the number of people employed was 148,738(thousand). Determine the unemployment rate in June 2015 if the LFPR had remained at 66.23%. Show your work.
7. Go to the BLS website https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm
Find the Employment situation Report for August 2015.
Go to Table A-15: Alternative measures of labor underutilization. For August 2015, what were the U-4, U5 and U-6 measures of unemployment.
1.
2.
8. Go to the Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED) web site: https://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/
In the search box in the upper right hand corner, type in "Quits". Next click on "Quits: Total Nonfarm".
Copy/Paste the graph in the space below:
What are "quits".
What happens to "quits" during recessions?
9. In the search box in the upper right hand corner, type in "layoffs". Next click on "Layoffs and Discharges: Total Nonfarm".
Copy/Paste the graph in the space below:
What happens to "Layoffs and discharges" during recessions?
10. In the search box in the upper right hand corner, type in "hires". Next click on "Hires: Total Nonfarm".
Copy/Paste the graph in the space below:
What happens to ""hires" during recessions?