Asked by Jennifer Moore on May 10, 2024

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Use the resource demand data shown on the left and the resource supply data on the right in answering the following question:  Labor Demand Data ‾ Labor Supply Data ‾Employment‾0123456MarginalProduct‾0152839485560 Product  Price ‾$2.202.001.801.601.401.201.00Employment‾0123456 Wage Rate ‾−−$1.002.003.004.005.006.00\begin{array}{c}\underline{\text { Labor Demand Data }}\quad\quad\quad\quad\quad\quad\quad\quad\underline{\text { Labor Supply Data }}\\\begin{array}{c}\\\underline{\text {Employment}}\\0\\1\\2\\3\\4\\5\\6\end{array}\begin{array}{c}\text {Marginal}\\\underline{\text {Product}}\\0\\15\\28\\39\\48\\55\\60\end{array}\begin{array}{c}\text { Product }\\\underline{\text { Price } }\\\$ 2.20 \\2.00 \\1.80 \\1.60 \\1.40 \\1.20 \\1.00 \end{array}\begin{array}{c}\\\underline{\text {Employment}}\\0\\1\\2\\3\\4\\5\\6 \end{array}\begin{array}{c}\text { Wage}\\\underline{\text { Rate }} \\-- \\\$1.00 \\2.00\\3.00 \\4.00 \\5.00 \\6.00\end{array}\end{array} Labor Demand Data  Labor Supply Data Employment0123456MarginalProduct0152839485560 Product  Price $2.202.001.801.601.401.201.00Employment0123456 Wage Rate $1.002.003.004.005.006.00
Refer to the given data.What will be the profit-maximizing wage rate?

A) $6.
B) $5.
C) $4.
D) $3.

Labor Demand Data

Information and statistics related to the number of workers that employers are willing and able to hire at different wage levels.

Labor Supply Data

Information and statistics regarding the availability of workers and their willingness to work at various wage levels.

Marginal Product

The additional output resulting from using one more unit of a particular input, assuming all other inputs remain constant.

  • Understand the concept of profit-maximizing in labor markets.
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MA
Maqsood AhmadMay 11, 2024
Final Answer :
D
Explanation :
To find the profit-maximizing wage rate, we need to determine the level of employment where the marginal revenue product (MRP) of labor equals the wage rate. MRP is calculated as the marginal product (MP) of labor multiplied by the product price. We calculate MRP for each level of employment and compare it with the wage rate to find where they are equal or where MRP just starts to fall below the wage rate.1. For 1 employee: MP = 15, Price = $2.00, MRP = 15 * $2.00 = $30. Wage = $1.00.2. For 2 employees: MP = 28, Price = $1.80, MRP = 28 * $1.80 = $50.40. Wage = $2.00.3. For 3 employees: MP = 39, Price = $1.60, MRP = 39 * $1.60 = $62.40. Wage = $3.00.4. For 4 employees: MP = 48, Price = $1.40, MRP = 48 * $1.40 = $67.20. Wage = $4.00.At 3 employees, the MRP ($62.40) is greater than the wage rate ($3.00), but when we move to 4 employees, the wage rate ($4.00) is close to the MRP ($67.20), and adding another employee would make the wage rate exceed the MRP. Therefore, the profit-maximizing wage rate is where the MRP is equal to or just above the wage rate, which is at $3.00 for 3 employees.