Chapter 21: Problem 28

After several years of economic growth, would you expect the unemployment in an economy to be mainly cyclical or mainly due to the natural rate of unemployment? Why?

Short Answer

Expert verified

After several years of economic growth, the unemployment in an economy would be mainly due to the natural rate of unemployment, rather than cyclical unemployment. This is because economic growth reduces cyclical unemployment by creating more job opportunities, and eventually, the economy reaches its potential output or full employment level. At this point, unemployment mainly results from structural and frictional factors, which are not directly affected by economic growth.

Step by step solution

1. Understanding Cyclical and Natural Rates of Unemployment

Cyclical unemployment arises due to fluctuations in economic activity, such as recessions and expansions. It can be negative if the economy is in a boom phase or positive if the economy is in a recession. On the other hand, the natural rate of unemployment is the rate of unemployment that exists even when the economy is at full employment, indicating structural and frictional unemployment.

2. Analyzing the Impact of Economic Growth on Unemployment

Economic growth often leads to increased job opportunities, encouraging people to enter or re-enter the workforce. This results in a decrease in unemployment, specifically cyclical unemployment, as businesses need more labor for their expansion. On the other hand, the natural rate of unemployment is not directly affected by economic growth since it is dependent on structural factors in the economy.

3. Identifying the Type of Unemployment After Several Years of Economic Growth

After several years of economic growth, it is reasonable to assume that the economy may have fully recovered from the negative impacts of previous recessions, and reached the potential output or full employment level. In this situation, cyclical unemployment would be minimal. Therefore, the prevailing unemployment would be mainly due to the natural rate of unemployment.

4. Conclusion

After analyzing the relationship between economic growth and unemployment, we can conclude that after several years of economic growth, the unemployment in an economy would be mainly due to the natural rate of unemployment. This is because the effects of cyclical unemployment would have diminished, and the economy would be operating close to its potential output, with unemployment mainly resulting from structural and frictional factors.

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