1、Unit 2 Text:Population（人口）1.Key words2.Importance of the size and type of population3.Labor force4.Unemployment and employment5.Natural increase of population6.Questionsskilled peoplehigher paid occupationprofessional trainingpayment in kindrent-free accommodationfactor incomephysical and mental wor
2、ktransfer incomeunemployment benefitsTransfer paymentownership of propertyprevious generationsspecialized skillstrade uniontertiary industrypossession of assets income size2.1 As a market for goods and services2.2 The population provides the members of the workforceAll members of the population are
3、consumers in some form or other,and the number of consumers who must share the foods and services available has profound effects on the individuals standard of living and on the economy itself.The workforce is only a part of the total population.Combined with other resources,the workforce produces m
4、ost of the goods and services required by the entire population.To a large extent,the size of the population affects the size of the workforce.The larger the available workforce the greater the potential for production,but it is not numbers alone which make for an efficient and effective workforce.T
5、he larger the population the greater the number of consumers,which usually means that a larger workforce is needed in order to supply their needs.3.1 Definition of labor force3.2 Factors affecting labor forceLabor force is defined as being the total number of people who are available to work and ear
6、n income.This definition includes everyone who is employed or seeking paid employment,so it includes employers and the self-employed.Labor is one of the countrys resources which can be combined with other resources to produce the goods and services wanted by the community.3.2.1 Age distribution of t
7、he total population3.2.2 Number of school students3.2.3 Quality of the workforceIf the population has a high proportion of very young people or of those too old to work,then the available workforce would be lower than if there were an evenly spread age distribution.If the population grows rapidly fr
8、om natural increase,i.e.the number of births greatly exceeds the number of deaths,then as the total population increases the proportion in the workforce declines.Aging population means that the birth rate is either falling or growing very slowly,and as people retire from the workforce there are insu
9、fficient numbers of young people entering it to replace those who are leaving it.The population is top-heavy with older people.So the percentage of the population in the workforce declines when there is either a rapid increase in births or a falling birth rate.The greater the proportion of young peo
10、ple who engage themselves in full-time education,the smaller the proportion of those available for the workforce.Perhaps more important is the quality of the workforce,particularly in a society where the type of production generally requires a high level of skill and education.Because modern methods
11、 of production are complex,a country in which the workforce is ill-educated and unskilled cannot develop quickly without an intensive program of education and training.4.1 Types of unemployment4.2 Employment4.1.1 Seasonal unemployment4.1.2 Structural unemployment4.1.3 Frictional unemployment Unemplo
12、yment can be due to seasonal causes.For example,sheep-shearers and fruitpickers are needed at certain times of the year and not at other between jobs.Structural unemployment occurs when a certain industry or business is affected by changes in technology,competition from imports,or other factors that
13、 relate to the industry as a whole.Some people will be moving between jobs,there will be some frictional unemployment.4.2.1 Full employment4.2.2 Level of employmentFull employment can be defined as a situation where total demand for labor is equal to the supply of labor.But even when job vacancies a
14、nd unemployment are approximately equal,not everyone in the workforce is employed because there are always some who are incapable of keeping a job.The percentage of the workforce which is employed,Depends largely on the level of demand for goods and services.5.1 Definition of natural increase of pop
15、ulation5.2 Birth rate and death rate5.3 Rate of natural increase of population5.4 Factors affecting natural increase of populationNatural increase occurs when the number of births exceeds the number of deaths.The birth rate is defined as the number of births per 1,000 of the population in a year.The
16、 death rate is the number of deaths per 1,000.If we subtract the death rate from the birth rate we have the rate of natural increase of the population which is the increase in the population per 1,000 people for that year.Birth rate and death rateAge and sex composition of the population The birth r
17、ate is largely determined by the number of women of child-bearing age,which is regarded as being approximately 15 to 45.The number of women available for bearing children depends on how many females were born in previous decades.Fertility.This term refers to the actual number of children produced,no
18、t merely the ability to have them.(1)Explain why some people receive higher incomes than others.(2)Why is income regarded as a price?(3)What is the difference between factor income and transfer income?(4)Should productivity be related to wage levels?(5)Are there problems involved in measuring productivity?Give examples.
