(a) Define labour force.
(b) Explain the following concepts with an example each:
(i) occupational mobility of labour;
(ii) geographical mobility of labour.
(c) Outline four factors that can influence the size of the labour force in a country
Explanation
(a) Labour force may be defined as the proportion of the total population of a country who are currently employed or are actively seeking employment.
(b)(i) Occupational mobility of labour is the ease with which labour moves from one job to another e.g. banking to teaching.
(ii) Geographical mobility is the ease with which labour moves from one location to another e.g. A teacher moving from Banjul to Monrovia
(c)(i) If the official school-leaving age is reduced, the size of the labour force will increase.
(ii) If the age of retirement is extended from say 60 years to 65 years, the size of the labour force will increase.
(iii) Ceteris paribus, a country with larger population will have a large labour force, while one with smaller population will have a small labour force.
(iv) Where a large proportion of the population is willing to work, the labour force will be large.
(v) If more women are full-time housewives, the size of the labour force will reduce.
(vi) If a large proportion of the working group is sick and disabled, the size of the labour force will reduce.
(vii) If more people decide to pursue higher education, the labour force will be reduced.
(viii)If people voluntarily retire, the size of the labour force will reduce.
(ix) If the age structure of population changes in favour of the working population, the labour force will increase.