Multiple shifts in Supply/Demand curves

  • Thread starter Thread starter whizkid11
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Curves Multiple
AI Thread Summary
The discussion focuses on interpreting shifts in supply and demand curves due to a new law mandating firms to provide free cell phones to workers. The law increases the perceived value of labor for workers by $200 while costing firms $500, impacting equilibrium wages. The labor supply curve indicates that workers may accept a lower wage since the cell phones add value without counting as direct wages. Consequently, this results in a downward shift of the labor supply curve. On the demand side, firms face higher costs, leading to a potential upward shift in the demand curve as they adjust to the increased expense of providing cell phones.
whizkid11
I'm trying to figure out how to best interpret multiple shifts in a supply/demand curve. Suppose that a new law requires every firm to provide its workers with free cell phones. The cell phones are worth $200 a year to the works and cost the firms $500 a year to provide. On a labor supply/demand curve, how do I know how much the equilibrium wage goes up or down after the law is enacted?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Ask yourself the question: what does the labor supply curve indicate for any given quantity of labor per year? "The least (marginal) wage at which ..." Then ask: if each worker is given a $200 that does not count as wage, at what wage will the (marginal) worker supply the same amount of annual labor? (Hint: at a somewhat lower wage than he or she previously would agree to... Can you say how much lower?) Finally, decide whether that means an upward or a downward shift for the supply curve, and by how much.

Then move on to the demand curve, and follow the same steps above, except replace $200 with $500, "worker" with "employer," and "is given" with "gives."
 
Just ONCE, I wanted to see a post titled Status Update that was not a blatant, annoying spam post by a new member. So here it is. Today was a good day here in Northern Wisconsin. Fall colors are here, no mosquitos, no deer flies, and mild temperature, so my morning run was unusually nice. Only two meetings today, and both went well. The deer that was road killed just down the road two weeks ago is now fully decomposed, so no more smell. Somebody has a spike buck skull for their...
Back
Top