Specialisation & the Division of Labour
- Scotsman Adam Smith is often referred to as the 'father of economics.
- He published 'The Wealth of Nations' in March 1776 and explained many fundamental economic principles that we still use today
- The premise of the book was to discuss how to increase productivity and wealth
- The premise of the book was to discuss how to increase productivity and wealth
- Based on observations made during a visit to a pin factory, he developed the ideas of specialisation and the division of labour
- He noted that a single worker could not make more than 20 pins a day as it involved around 18 different processes, such as cutting the wire, sharpening the end, stamping the head, etc.
- However, if the labour was divided up into different tasks and workers specialised in just that one task, Adam Smith estimated that just 10 workers could produce 48,000 pins per day
Diagram: Worker making steel pins
The division of labour takes one task and breaks it into multiple processes. A worker then specialises in each process and is more productive
- The division of labour is when a task is broken up into several component tasks
- This allows workers to specialise by focusing on one (or a few) of the components that make up the production process and thereby gain significant skill in doing it
- This results in higher output per worker and so increases productivity
- Specialisation occurs on several different levels
- On an individual level
- On a business level. For example, one firm may only specialise in manufacturing drill bits for concrete work
- On a regional level. For example, Silicon Valley has specialised in the tech industry
- On a global level as countries seek to trade. For example, Bangladesh specialises in textiles and exports them to the world
Benefits of Specialisation & Division of Labour for Consumers, Firms & Society
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