Suppose the labor market is segmented into two distinct markets: the market for low-skill workers and the market for high-skill workers. Furthermore, suppose the competitive equilibrium wage in the low-skill market is $7.00/hour, while the competitive equilibrium wage in the high-skill market is $20.00/hour. If the minimum wage is set at $10.00/hour, which market will exhibit the greatest amount of unemployment? Demonstrate it graphically.

In a purely competitive labor market (a), market labor supply S and market labor demand D determine the equilibrium wage rate Wc and the equilibrium number of workers Qc . Each individual competitive firm (b) takes this competitive wage Wc as given. Thus, the individual firm’s labor supply curve s = MRC is perfectly elastic at the going wage Wc . Its labor demand curve, d, is its MRP curve (here labeled mrp). The firm maximizes its profit by hiring workers up to where MRP = MRC. Area 0abc represents both the firm’s total revenue and its total cost. The green area is its total wage cost; the blue area is its nonlabor costs, including a normal profit—that is, the firm’s payments to the suppliers of land, capital, and entrepreneurship. This firm’s labor demand curve d in graph (b) slopes downward because: a. the law of diminishing marginal utility applies. b. the law of diminishing returns applies. c. the firm must lower its price to sell additional units of its product. d. the firm is a…

Some economists argue that minimum wage policy does not always lead to the unemployment consequences that are so often predicted. For the sake of argument, grant that this is true. That is, due to the passage of say, a $15 minimum wage in Virginia, no one loses his or her job. Does this prove that minimum wage policy can improve the economic circumstances of unskilled laborers? Why or why not?

Suppose the supply curve of lab assistants is given by w = 8 + 6E, while the demand curve is given by w = 40 – 2E. (Assume is in 000s of persons and w is the annual salary in thousands of dollars). Calculate the equilibrium wage and employment level.