Demand for the Factors of Production | Economics for GCSE/IGCSE - Year 11 PDF Download

Influences On the Demand For Factors of Production

Firms' demand for factors of production (FoP) is influenced by three key factors:

• The demand for goods and services.
• The prices of various factors of production.
• The availability and productivity of these factors.

The Demand for Goods/Services

• Demand for factors of production is a derived demand. For instance, if there's a surge in demand for tires, a tire manufacturer will need more rubber, potentially more labor, and depending on the scale of demand, possibly more capital (machinery) to meet production needs.

• In the tire market, heightened demand for tires is illustrated by a shift in the demand curve from D₁ to D₂.
• Rubber, being a natural resource (land), experiences increased demand from firms to fulfill higher levels of tire production.
• The adjacent diagram illustrates the rubber market, where demand for rubber escalates from D₁ to D₂.

The Price For Different Factors Of Production

Firms vigilantly monitor the prices of alternative factors of production to optimize profits:

• They assess the prices of substitute raw materials, such as considering the use of fish leather instead of cow leather for jacket manufacturing.
• They compare the costs of installing new and efficient machinery (capital) with the expenses associated with hiring additional workers (labor).

The Availability & Productivity Of The Factors

• The availability of factors of production can experience rapid shifts in factor markets:
  • The emergence of Covid-19 led to various supply disruptions, reducing the availability of labor and many raw materials.
  • Many firms responded by seeking substitute factors of production to maintain their production of goods and services.
  • In certain cases, this entailed shifting demand from cheaper foreign imports to pricier locally produced raw materials.
• High or increasing productivity of a factor leads to a corresponding rise in its demand:
  • For instance, if a new Government training initiative enhances the productivity of car mechanics, car repair garages will seek to hire more workers, as each worker's increased efficiency translates to higher profits.