(This is an archived page, from the Patterns of Power Edition 3 book. Current versions are at book contents).
The term 'labour market' is applied to the framework within which employers seek suitable employees to help them operate their businesses. As with materials and supplies, described in the previous section (3.3.2), a market is in equilibrium when the price level is such that supply is balanced by demand. In the labour market, the price is the wage level and working conditions that are offered by the employer and are accepted by the employee.
Three aspects of the labour market are described further in the following sub-sections:
· The wage level that employers can afford to offer is affected by the productivity of the labour force (3.3.3.1).
· The employee's bargaining position is affected by individual personal circumstances and by the employer's alternatives to offering work in that situation (3.3.3.2).
· The government can intervene in the labour market by setting minimum wage policies (3.3.3.3).