Demand for the Factors of Production (Cambridge (CIE) O Level Economics)
Revision Note
Written by: Steve Vorster
Reviewed by: Jenna Quinn
Influences on the Demand for Factors of Production
The demand by firms for factors of production (FoP) is influenced by three factors
The demand for goods/services
The price of different factors of production
The availability and productivity of the factors
1. The demand for goods/services
The demand for the factors of production is a derived demand. If a tyre manufacturer benefits from increased demand for their tyres, they will require more rubber to meet the demand
They may also require more labour
Depending on the level of increased demand, possibly more capital (machinery) to manufacture the tyres
In the tyre market, the increased demand for tyres is represented by a shift in the demand curve from D1 to D2
Rubber is a natural resource (land) and there is now increased demand from the firm for rubber in order to meet higher levels of tyre production
The diagram on the right represents the rubber market where demand for it increases from D1 to D2
2. The price for different factors of production
The price of alternative factors of production are constantly monitored by firms in order to ensure that they are maximising profits
The price of alternative (substitute) raw materials will be considered e.g. using fish leather instead of cow leather to manufacture jackets
The price of installing new and efficient machinery (capital) will be monitored against the cost of hiring more workers (labour)
3. The availability and productivity of the factors
The availability of the factors of production can change rapidly in factor markets
Covid 19 caused many supply issues which reduced the availability of labour and many raw materials
Many firms responded by searching for substitute factors of production so that they could continue producing goods/services
In some cases this meant switching demand from cheaper foreign imports to more expensive locally produced raw materials
If the productivity of a factor is high (or increasing), then the demand for that factor will also increase
If a new Government training scheme improves the productivity of car mechanics, car repair garages will seek to employ more workers as each worker is able to achieve more resulting in higher profits
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Firms are able to increase their profits in two main ways.
Firstly, they can raise the selling price so that the gap between the selling price and their costs of production increases (the effectiveness of this depends on the price elasticity of demand).
Secondly, they can decrease the cost of their factors of production and maintain the current selling price.
Following the second option can have significant impacts on the product manufactured by the firm e.g. switching to a cheaper natural resource may decrease product quality or decreasing the wages paid to workers may reduce motivation leading to poor productivity.
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