(a) What is Labour Force? (b) Explain four factors affecting the size of the labour force.

(a) The labour force is the total number of people who are of working age (for example 15 to 64 years) and are able and willing to work, whether they are actually employed or unemployed but seeking work. It excludes children, the aged, students, housewives not seeking work, and those unable or unwilling to work.

(b) Four factors affecting the size of the labour force:

• Size of the total population: a larger population, other things being equal, provides a larger pool from which the labour force is drawn.
• Age distribution of the population: a population with a high proportion of people of working age has a larger labour force than one dominated by children or the aged.
• The official working-age limits (retirement and entry age): a lower entry age and a higher retirement age enlarge the labour force, while the reverse reduces it.
• Attitude to work, especially of women: where more women take up paid employment and social attitudes favour work, the labour force is larger.
• Length of schooling and training: long years spent in education delay entry and reduce the current labour force.
• Migration: immigration of workers increases, and emigration reduces, the size of the labour force.

In short, the labour force depends on how many people fall within the working age and how many of them are willing and available to work.