Asses the benefits of Jennifer specialising further using Figure 4 (9 marks)
Specialisation of labour is the concentration on and becoming an expert in a specific field
which leads to greater efficiency and therefor more efficient allocation of scarce resources.
One benefit of increased specialisation for Jennifer is the increased productivity associated
with it. This is because of learning economies; as she specialises over time, through
repetition and practice she learns the nuances associated with operating the till and thus
increases her efficiency and pace. As a result, she lowers the cost of production for the firm
and could even use this to justify a request for higher wages. On the other hand, repetition
of these tasks can be quite boring, resulting in decreased morale - this means that she could
lose job satisfaction in the near future, and may increase turnover rate for the company.
Additionally, a cost of further specialisation for Jennifer would be that the simple and menial
nature of her job makes her more prone to redundancy by automation. As demonstrated by
figure 4, 40% of her co-workers have had to retrain or have lost their jobs due to
automation. This could create anxiety amongst those still employed in the field (such as
Jennifer) and lower their motivation to work, thus reducing productivity. Furthermore, the
deeper she specialises, the lower her occupational mobility of labour as it is likely that
similar jobs will also be susceptible to robotics as well.
In conclusion, I believe the costs of Jennifer specialising outweigh the benefits. In the short
run, as Jennifer is still quite skilled at her job and technology is still in the process of being
developed and implemented therefore, she may still be able to delay redundancy and even
command higher wages, bettering her quality of life. However, as the structure of the
economy changes, her employment will become more uncertain, her job satisfaction may
start/continue to fall and her occupational mobility to other careers will be lower.
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