. Workers (CIE IGCSE Economics)

Topic Questions

11 mark

What could discourage women from seeking employment?

  • More education and training are provided.

  • More flexible and part-time jobs are available.

  • There are fewer promotion opportunities for women.

  • There is a shift in employment to the services sector.

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21 mark

Why does specialisation increase the productivity of employees?

  • Average cost of production increases.

  • Staff turnover is high.

  • Time is saved by not moving between tasks.

  • Workers lose interest in their job.

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31 mark

Why do women, on average, earn less than men?

  • Women may be less able than men.

  • Women are not eligible for government jobs.

  • Women may not work as hard as men.

  • Women often face discrimination in the workplace.

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41 mark

In which occupation would wages tend to increase?

  • in those where a worker is paid weekly

  • in those where a worker needs less training

  • in those where there is an excess demand for labour

  • in those where work becomes less dangerous

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51 mark

What is an example of a non-wage factor?

  • bonus

  • commission

  • fringe benefits

  • overtime rates

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61 mark

Carlos has been offered a new job with a large multinational company. He is undecided whether to accept the position.

What is a non-wage factor he might consider?

  • bonus payments

  • holiday entitlement

  • overtime rate

  • salary level

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11 mark

What benefit is likely to result from the extension of specialisation within manufacturing?

  • For a consumer, there are more individually made goods available.

  • For a consumer, there could be a lower cost of living.

  • For an employee, job satisfaction will increase.

  • For an employee, the nature of work is more varied.

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21 mark

What is a disadvantage of being a specialist skilled worker?

  • Career opportunities are abundant.

  • Earnings are related to the level of skill.

  • It may be difficult to find work locally.

  • Labour supply is elastic and plentiful.

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31 mark

What is usually considered to be an advantage to a firm of using division of labour?

  • high labour turnover

  • increased mechanisation

  • movement of labour between tasks

  • need for quality control

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41 mark

The demand for gas in a country becomes price-inelastic.

What will happen as a result?

  • Gas workers will be less likely to be successful in obtaining wage increases.

  • Gas workers will be more likely to be successful in obtaining wage increases.

  • Total expenditure on gas by consumers will fall when its price rises.

  • Total expenditure on gas by consumers will rise when its price falls.

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51 mark

The table shows the change in real incomes for a number of occupations between 1985 and 2015.

occupation change in real income
%

doctors

lawyers

accountants

bricklayers

bus and coach drivers

fork-lift truck drivers

153

114

60

37

19

-5


What can be concluded from the table?

  • All occupations were better off in 2015 than in 1985.

  • Fork-lift truck drivers earned the lowest wages in 2015.

  • Doctors have earned more than lawyers since 1985.

  • Professionals received higher percentage increases in income than manual workers.

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11 mark

What does not have an effect on wages in a free market economy?

  • danger levels in the workplace

  • government regulations

  • the number of people willing and able to work

  • the years of training required

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21 mark

Which statement explains why the pay of doctors is usually higher than the pay of hospital cleaners?

  • Doctors have a higher opportunity cost in qualifying.

  • Doctors have a more elastic supply than hospital cleaners.

  • Hospital cleaners belong to trade unions with stronger bargaining powers.

  • Hospital cleaners have a more inelastic demand than doctors.

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31 mark

When is it most likely that the demand for labour in an industry increases?

  • When the demand for the industry’s product increases.

  • When the level of immigration into the country increases.

  • When the level of qualifications needed to work in the industry decreases.

  • When the level of wages paid in the industry increases.

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41 mark

What could affect the size of the labour force in an economy?

  • the existence of a trade union

  • the government’s immigration policy

  • the quality of university graduates

  • the ratio of male to female employees

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51 mark

What might cause an increase in the earnings of a doctor in a government health service?

  • an increasing number of doctors graduate from university each year

  • an increasing number of people need health care

  • the government spends less on the nation’s health services

  • the population becomes more aware of healthy eating

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61 mark

What is likely to lead to an increase in the wages of university lecturers?

  • an increase in the fringe benefits provided to university lecturers

  • an increase in the tuition fees paid by university students

  • government policies reducing the length of the training for university lecturers

  • increased demand from students to study at university

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