Development

[6] Studies
MODULE 2: LABOUR

MATER SPEI COLLEGE

 LABOUR Advantages of Division and Disadvantages of Division and
specialisation of labour specialisation of labour
Labour is human effort that is directed at the production of goods and services, for  Work can be done faster and  Doing the same job repeatedly
example, both physical and mental. perfectly because the worker leads to boredom.
perform only one task.  Workers lose the initiative to
Man is central to production because it is he who initiates production and is also the  Little time is wasted moving exercise judgement and
consumer. from one task to the other. responsibility.
 There is a chance of  Increased risk of unemployment
SPECIALISATION OF LABOUR exploring people’s potential. because of the greater use of
 It is cheaper and time saving machinery.
Specialisation of labour is the concentration of people on one job that they are to train in one particular job.  Loss of craftsmanship because
trained in, for example, teaching, engineering and nursing.  Quality goods and services of the increased use of
are produced because of use machinery.
It can be divided into three levels, for example, individual, regional and national of advanced technology.  Increased dependency easily
specialisation.
 There is higher productivity leads to disruption of
because of the use of production, for example, if one
(a) Individual Specialisation is when a person concentrates in one activity worker is absent.
machinery.
only, for example, a doctor may specialise on teeth problems (dentist)
 Increases worker’s  Concentration on one task
proficiency because of makes it difficult for one to
(b) Regional Specialisation is whereby people in an area are engaged in the
constant repetition. acquire other skills.
production of a particular commodity or service due to geographical
conditions, specific skills, or resource availability, for example, copper  Creates a lot of employment
nickel in Selibe-Phikwe, Basketry in the North West. opportunities, for example,
teaching.

(c) National Specialisation is whereby different countries specialise in

producing certain commodities which they have comparative advantage, TYPES OF LABOUR
for example, Botswana specialises in Beef and diamonds because of (a)Specialised Labour
physical conditions, Lesotho specialises in wool, Malawi-fishing, Zambia-
copper. - These are people who are experts or highly skilled people.

- They have high education levels.

DIVISION OF LABOUR

What is division of labour? - They have spent long time training.

- Division of labour breaking down of work into small parts so that each
worker takes a part - They are paid high wages and salaries.

- When work is shared out in different parts between different people

- Also known as professionals, for example, engineers, doctors, teachers,
- The breaking down of the production process so that it may be based on nurses and lawyers.
gender or age or training

1 Mater Spei College Development Studies Notes MODULE 2: Production, Consumption & Investment - LABOUR
(b)Skilled Labour

 These are people who are highly trained in practical work related to THE CONDITIONS THAT PROMOTE EFFICIENCY OF LABOUR/
production, for example, artisans. LABOUR PRODUCTIVITY

 They know how to design and make items. Efficiency of labour is the ability of workers to be highly productive.

THE FACTORS THAT PROMOTE EFFICIENCY OF LABOUR ARE:

 They are highly trained and paid.
 Education and training, the higher the level of training and education the
higher the level of productivity.
 Examples, surveyors, electricians, auto mechanics, fitters and turners.
 Customs and attitudes of the people, some cultures encourage hard
work, for example, Japanese and Chinese culture.
 They are given technical qualifications, for example, City Guilds and
Crafts, Higher National Diplomas.
 Technology, if workers use simple technology then productivity will be
lower. Workers who use advanced technology will be more productive.
©Semi-Skilled Labour

- These are people who are trained on-the-job for specific tasks.  Working conditions, good working conditions ensure high productivity,
for example, good ventilation, lighting, safety and working hours.
- Mostly found in industry.

 Worker welfare, workers must have peace of mind for them to be

- They usually have no paper qualifications but gain enough experience to productive at work. This can be done by giving workers medical aid,
perform the job proficiently. pension schemes, funeral assistance, social and entertainment facilities and
housing.

- For example a spanner boy who eventually become a fully-fledged  Motivation, workers can be encouraged to work harder by being offered
mechanic. incentives such as higher wages, bonuses, participation in decision
making.

(d)Unskilled Labour

 These are workers who have no training at all.

 Mostly used as manual labourers, for example, farm workers, cleaners and
garden boys.

 They are paid low wages that is the minimum wages.

2 Mater Spei College Development Studies Notes MODULE 2: Production, Consumption & Investment - LABOUR
HOW CONDITIONS IN BOTSWANA FACILITATE THE EFFIENCY OF THE CONDITIONS THAT MILITATE AGAINST THE EFFICIENCY OF
LABOUR LABOUR IN BOTSWANA

 Education, there is free education for all to improve knowledge.  Lacks of skills, most of the people are unskilled without formal training.

 Training, at university and other tertiary institutions to improve the skills.  Poor health mainly because of HIV/AIDS that makes workers weak and
unproductive.

 Labour laws that protects the workers from exploitation, for example,
minimum wage and working hours.  Poor infrastructure, for example, narrow roads that make traffic move
slowly; single rail, poor telephone coverage.

 Pension schemes or social security, for both government and private

sector workers.  Poor education system produces people that are unprepared to join the
job market

 The acquisition of modern technology such as complex machines,

computers that help to raise productivity.  Poor work ethics such as late coming, lack of discipline, absenteeism and
misuse of telephones.

 Improvement of infrastructure, to improve the movement of goods and

provision of services.  Poor or low level of technology, most of the work in Botswana is done
manually and slowly, for example, agriculture and construction.

 Better housing for workers, for example, institutional housing, like

teachers houses, Botswana Housing Corporation houses and SHAA
Programme.  Poor working conditions such as low wages, long working hours, poor
safety, and unavailability of pension schemes for some private sector
employees.
 Provision of health facilities such as clinics, health post, hospitals and so
 Culture works against the efficiency of labour in the following ways; the
on for a healthy and productive population.
extended family that places a huge burden on the worker making them less
focused at work. Lack of assertiveness, for example, going the extra mile.
 Access to resources such as energy sources.

3 Mater Spei College Development Studies Notes MODULE 2: Production, Consumption & Investment - LABOUR
 Section B
CHECK YOUR PROGRESS
1.Study Fig. 1, which shows an assembly line in a car factory, and use it to answer
Section A questions (a)(i) and (ii).

1. Define labour

2. Describe any three forms of specialization of labour.

3. What is division of labour?

4. Explain any three types of labour

5. What is specialisation of labour

6. Give three advantages of specialisation of labour

7. Describe three disadvantages of division of labour.

8. Define labour efficiency

9. Give three reasons for high labour efficiency in developed

countries.
(a)(i) Describe the factors that increase the efficient of labour.
10. Describe three factors that promote labour efficiency in Botswana.
(ii) Describe the advantages of specialisation of labour.
11. Give three conditions that hinder labour efficiency in Botswana.

(b)(i) Describe ways in which governments raise capital.

(ii) Describe factors that determine appropriate technology.

4 Mater Spei College Development Studies Notes MODULE 2: Production, Consumption & Investment - LABOUR