宏观经济学课件：4 Unemployment.pptVIP

最低工资的一个害处是，它相当于对大量招聘教育水平低、没有稀缺技能工人的企业征收了一笔税。由于雇佣成本升高，底层公民被进一步挤出就业市场。这相当于对他们的惩罚。 提高最低工资的举措会鼓励企业寻找劳动力的替代品，例如外包或自动化。就连餐馆都可以这样做。如果餐馆老板被强迫提高员工工资，他们会采用电脑点单系统等技术，从机械化的工厂采购更多由机器制作好的熟食。 提高最低工资的倡导者通常是象牙塔里的经济学家。他们大多数人的工资直接或间接来自纳税人，从未创过业，也没给别人付过工资。他们最关心的是发表晦涩的论文；许多经济学家一生中可能犯过无数错误，但不会因此损失一分钱。相比之下，企业家是就业岗位的创造者，如果薪资成本太高，他们要么破产要么放弃。他们明白，低薪的解决办法不是让政府强迫雇主涨薪，而是提高工人教育水平。当然，这个任务艰巨而漫长，而提高最低工资似乎简单速效——但它有损总体的繁荣。 英国实行全国统一最低工资的荒唐制度，这意味着尽管全国各地生活成本、失业率水平等等差异巨大，但劳动力的价格却是一样的。这个不幸的事实完全破坏了最低工资制度所谓的科学性。因地制宜制定不同的最低工资标准实施起来颇为复杂，但当主观武断的法规扰乱市场自由交换时，情况一贯是复杂的。 提高最低工资听上去很美好。不切实际的理想主义者以为这样做是合乎道德的。除了贪婪的资本家以外，还有谁会反对？但理论家们没有认识到，这会限制机会，助长通胀，打击投资，鼓励企业寻找劳动力的替代品。如果政府热衷于这个想法，不妨免除更多低收入者的一切所得税和工资税。此举有助于提高工作报酬，也能让工作比领取救济金更具有吸引力。比起靠福利为生，工作几乎肯定能带来更多的尊严和健康——正因此，消除失业、促进（而不是阻碍）就业岗位的创造才如此重要。 提高最低工资尤其伤害那些缺乏技能的穷人和没有经验的年轻人，让他们没有就业机会。这怎么能减少不平等？ Union: a worker association that bargains with employers over wages and working conditions. Collective Bargaining: the process by which unions and firms agree on the terms of employment. Unions try to negotiate for better wages, better benefits, and better working conditions than the firm would offer if there was no union. Economists have found that union workers typically earn 10 to 20 percent more than similar workers who do not belong to unions. This implies that unions raise the wage above the equilibrium wage, resulting in unemployment. Efficiency wages are the above equilibrium wages paid by firms in order to increase worker productivity. Efficiency wages raise the wage above the market equilibrium wage, resulting in unemployment. 1. Worker Health: Better-paid workers can afford to eat better and can afford good medical care. 2. Worker Turnover 工人的流动性 It is costly for firms to hire and train new workers. And new workers are not as productive as experienced workers. A firm can reduce turnover by paying a wage greater than its workers could receive elsewhere. 3. Worker Effort If a firm pays a worker more than he or she can receive elsewhere, the worker will be mo