ECON2107 Modern Labour Markets: Theory and Policy - 2022

Subject Code
ECON2107
Study Level
Undergraduate
Commencing Term
Term 3
Total Units of Credit (UOC)
6
Delivery Mode
On Campus
School
Economics
The course outline is not available for current term. To view outlines from other years and/or terms, visit the archives .

1. Course Details

Summary of Course

This course is an introduction to the field of labour economics. Labour economists study the market where the traded good is the work performed by people. Workers supply labour in the form of time, effort and skills and firms demand labour in exchange for compensation. The topics include labour supply and labour demand, wage determination, labour productivity, worker mobility, discrimination, unemployment, inequality, and the roles of policy, government and unions in labour markets. To study labour markets, we use a mix of theoretical models and data analysis. While drawing on the international literature and trends in global labour markets, the course places special emphasis on Australian labour market attributes. Students will acquire theoretical and practical tools to understand and analyse various labour market observations and outcomes.

Teaching Times and Locations

Please note that teaching times and locations are subject to change. Students are strongly advised to refer to the Class Timetable website for the most up-to-date teaching times and locations.

View course timetable

Course Policies & Support

Course Aims and Relationship to Other Courses

The pre-requisites for this course are ECON1203 Business and Economics Statistics (or its equivalent) and ECON1101 Microeconomics (or its equivalent). The material in this course builds on key economic concepts that enable us to understand and investigate the functioning of the labour market, such as demand, supply, equilibrium and disequilibrium, market failure, market power, and so on. We will draw on microeconomic models, critical appraisal of the academic literature, and empirical evidence to make sense of current labour market debates both in Australia and overseas. The course also involves examination and analysis of Australian data using skills developed in introductory statistics.

The course aims to develop skills that will be useful for further study in applied microeconomics, evaluation methods and macroeconomics.

2. Staff Contact Details

Position Title Name Email Location Phone Consultation Times
Lecturer-in-chargeDrGeni DechterQuad 3123
Thursdays 12:00 - 13:00
LecturerProfGigi FosterBUS 453
Thursdays 4 PM - 5 PM or by appointment
You should feel free to contact your lecturer about any academic matter. The best place to discuss the subject material is during lectures, tutorials, or consultation time. Emails are the best way to discuss brief and/or administrative issues.

3. Learning and Teaching Activities

Use of your Webcam and Digital Devices: If you enrol in an online class, or the online stream of a hybrid class, teaching and associated activities will be conducted using Teams, Zoom, or similar a technology. Using a webcam is optional, but highly encouraged, as this will facilitate interaction with your peers and instructors. If you are worried about your personal space being observed during a class, we encourage you to blur your background or make use of a virtual background. Please contact the Lecturer-in-Charge if you have any questions or concerns.

Some courses may involve undertaking online exams for which your own computer or digital devices will be required. Monitoring of online examinations will be conducted directly by University staff and is bound by the University's privacy and security requirements. Any data collected will be handled accordance with UNSW policies and standards for data governance. For more information on how the University manages personal information please refer to the UNSW Student Privacy Statement and the UNSW Privacy Policy.

Approach to Learning and Teaching in the Course

Central to providing students with a sense of achievement in a complex discipline such as economics is striving to work along two fundamental dimensions of economic knowledge: its scientific approach and methodology, and its social dimension. This course will stress the importance of developing and using skills to create and weigh economic arguments, where ideas and theories interplay with the evidence that supports or refutes them. These skills will enable students to actively and critically participate in the ongoing debates and developments relevant to labour markets worldwide. Most of us spend a large fraction of our lives working, and much of this work is monetised and occurs as part of market transactions between employers and employees. We have designed this course to empower students with skills and knowledge to address a general topic that is relevant to every country in the world and that has large human consequences.

In both lectures and tutorials, your teaching staff will look for active student contributions through discussion and questioning that reflects your assigned course reading and your experience. Tutorials are heavily weighted towards experiential learning: you are encouraged to explore theoretical concepts, develop your communication skills, and exercise your imagination.

Learning Activities and Teaching Strategies

The examinable content of this course is defined by the references given in the course outline and the Moodle site, the content of lectures, and the content of the tutorial program.

Lectures

The purpose of lectures is (i) to provide a logical structure for the topics that make up the course; (ii) to emphasise the important concepts and methods of each topic; and (iii) to provide relevant examples to which the concepts, models and methods are applied. Lecture slides can be downloaded from Moodle prior to each lecture.

Tutorials

Tutorials are an integral part of this course, and will include assessable activities as detailed below under Assessment. Tutorials offer the opportunity to review and extend your grasp of key concepts introduced in lectures. A small set of tutorial questions will be provided for each week's tutorial via Moodle. The feedback discussed in class will help guide your own understanding and performance in the course.

Out-of-Class Study

Much of your learning will be achieved outside of class time. Lectures can only provide a structure to assist your study, and tutorial time is limited.

An "ideal" strategy (on which the provision of the course materials is based) might see you proceeding as follows each week:

  1. Read the relevant chapter(s) of the textbook and any other resources referenced for the week. Access the lecture slides from Moodle.
  2. Attend the weekly lecture. Here the context of the topic in the course and the important elements of the topic will be identified. The relevance of the topic will be explained. (Studies show that students who attend class more frequently get better marks!)
  3. (Possibly over the weekend) Review the notes you took during lecture, and attempt the tutorial questions.
  4. Attend your tutorial. It is expected that students attend at least 80% of tutorials. Each tutorial will focus on material from the preceding week's lecture.
  5. Regularly seek interaction and feedback about specific areas of confusion or interest during consultation times, via Moodle, and/or by email.

5. Course Resources

The textbook for this course is:

  • Ehrenberg, Ronald G. and Robert S. Smith, Modern Labor Economics: Theory and Public Policy. 11th - 14th Edition, Pearson. [E&S]

Students may also find the following textbooks useful for some parts of the course:

  • Borjas, George, Labor Economics. 5th Edition, McGraw Hill Irwin.
  • Norris, Keith. Economics of Australian Labour Markets. 5th Edition, Longman Publishing.

Additional materials (e.g.,. academic articles, newspaper and online media content) will be posted to the relevant section of the course website on Moodle.

​The website for this course is on UNSW Moodle.

This website contains course material such as tutorial homework questions, data required for some homework tasks, a course discussion board, lecture materials (posted each week prior to the lecture), announcements, useful web links, and other resources. You are expected to check the Moodle site at least twice weekly for announcements, new resources, and other updates.

6. Course Evaluation & Development

Feedback is regularly sought from students and continual improvements are made based on this feedback. At the end of this course, you will be asked to complete the myExperience survey, which provides a key source of student evaluative feedback. Your input into this quality enhancement process is extremely valuable in assisting us to meet the needs of our students and provide an effective and enriching learning experience. The results of all surveys are carefully considered and do lead to action towards enhancing educational quality.

​The School of Economics strives to be responsive to student feedback. If you would like more information on how the design of this course and changes made to it over time have taken students’ needs and preferences into account, please contact the Director of Education at the School of Economics.

7. Course Schedule

Note: for more information on the UNSW academic calendar and key dates including study period, exam, supplementary exam and result release, please visit: https://student.unsw.edu.au/new-calendar-dates
Week Activity Topic Assessment/Other
Week 1: 12 SeptemberLecture

Introduction to Labour Economics

The Demand for Labour

E&S Chapters 1 - 2

E&S Chapter 3

Week 2: 19 SeptemberLecture

Labour Demand (continued)

Labour Supply - theory

E&S Chapters 3 - 5

E&S Chapter 6

Tutorial

Introduction to Labour Economics

The Demand for Labour

E&S Chapters 1 - 2

E&S Chapter 3

Week 3: 26 SeptemberLecture

Labour Supply - Empirical Implications

Heterogeneity in Workers and Firms

E&S Chapter 7

E&S Chapter 8

Tutorial

Labour Demand (continued)

Labour Supply - theory

E&S Chapters 3 - 5

E&S Chapter 6

Week 4 : 3 OctoberLecture

Heterogeneity in Workers and Firms (continued)

Education and Human Capital

E&S Chapter 8

E&S Chapter 9

Tutorial

Labour Supply - Empirical Implications

Heterogeneity in Workers and Firms

E&S Chapter 7

E&S Chapter 8

Week 5 : 10 OctoberLecture

International Labour Markets and Migration

Wage determination: pay and productivity

E&S Chapter 10

 

E&S Chapter 11

Tutorial

Heterogeneity in Workers and Firms

Education and Human Capital

E&S Chapter 8

E&S Chapter 9

Week 6 : 17 October

Flexibility week - no lectures, no tutorials

Week 7: 24 OctoberLecture

Wage determination: pay and productivity (continued)

Labour Market Discrimination

E&S Chapter 11

 

E&S Chapter 12

Tutorial

International Labour Markets and Migration

Wage determination: pay and productivity

E&S Chapter 10

 

E&S Chapter 11

Assessment

Short Answer Question #1 due 26 October by 4pm

Week 8: 31 OctoberLecture

Unemployment and labour market mobility

E&S Chapter 14

Tutorial

Wage determination: pay and productivity

Labour Market Discrimination

E&S Chapter 11

 

E&S Chapter 12

Week 9: 7 NovemberLecture

Inequality

E&S Chapter 15

Tutorial

Unemployment and labour market mobility

E&S Chapter 14

Week 10 : 14 NovemberLecture

No classes

Tutorial

Inequality

E&S Chapter 15

Assessment

Short Answer Question #2 due 16 November by 4pm

8. Policies and Support

Information about UNSW Business School program learning outcomes, academic integrity, student responsibilities and student support services. For information regarding special consideration, supplementary exams and viewing final exam scripts, please go to the key policies and support page.

Program Learning Outcomes

The Business School places knowledge and capabilities at the core of its curriculum via seven Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs). These PLOs are systematically embedded and developed across the duration of all coursework programs in the Business School.

PLOs embody the knowledge, skills and capabilities that are taught, practised and assessed within each Business School program. They articulate what you should know and be able to do upon successful completion of your degree.

Upon graduation, you should have a high level of specialised business knowledge and capacity for responsible business thinking, underpinned by ethical professional practice. You should be able to harness, manage and communicate business information effectively and work collaboratively with others. You should be an experienced problem-solver and critical thinker, with a global perspective, cultural competence and the potential for innovative leadership.

All UNSW programs and courses are designed to assess the attainment of program and/or course level learning outcomes, as required by the UNSW Assessment Design Procedure. It is important that you become familiar with the Business School PLOs, as they constitute the framework which informs and shapes the components and assessments of the courses within your program of study.

PLO 1: Business knowledge

Students will make informed and effective selection and application of knowledge in a discipline or profession, in the contexts of local and global business.

PLO 2: Problem solving

Students will define and address business problems, and propose effective evidence-based solutions, through the application of rigorous analysis and critical thinking.

PLO 3: Business communication

Students will harness, manage and communicate business information effectively using multiple forms of communication across different channels.

PLO 4: Teamwork

Students will interact and collaborate effectively with others to achieve a common business purpose or fulfil a common business project, and reflect critically on the process and the outcomes.

PLO 5: Responsible business practice

Students will develop and be committed to responsible business thinking and approaches, which are underpinned by ethical professional practice and sustainability considerations.

PLO 6: Global and cultural competence

Students will be aware of business systems in the wider world and actively committed to recognise and respect the cultural norms, beliefs and values of others, and will apply this knowledge to interact, communicate and work effectively in diverse environments.

PLO 7: Leadership development

Students will develop the capacity to take initiative, encourage forward thinking and bring about innovation, while effectively influencing others to achieve desired results.


These PLOs relate to undergraduate and postgraduate coursework programs.  For PG Research PLOs, including Master of Pre-Doctoral Business Studies, please refer to the UNSW HDR Learning Outcomes

Business School course outlines provide detailed information for students on how the course learning outcomes, learning activities, and assessment/s contribute to the development of Program Learning Outcomes.

UNSW Graduate Capabilities

The Business School PLOs also incorporate UNSW graduate capabilities, a set of generic abilities and skills that all students are expected to achieve by graduation. These capabilities articulate the University’s institutional values, as well as future employer expectations.

UNSW Graduate CapabilitiesBusiness School PLOs
Scholars capable of independent and collaborative enquiry, rigorous in their analysis, critique and reflection, and able to innovate by applying their knowledge and skills to the solution of novel as well as routine problems.
  • PLO 1: Business knowledge
  • PLO 2: Problem solving
  • PLO 3: Business communication
  • PLO 4: Teamwork
  • PLO 7: Leadership development

Entrepreneurial leaders capable of initiating and embracing innovation and change, as well as engaging and enabling others to contribute to change
  • PLO 1: Business knowledge
  • PLO 2: Problem solving
  • PLO 3: Business communication
  • PLO 4: Teamwork
  • PLO 6: Global and cultural competence
  • PLO 7: Leadership development

Professionals capable of ethical, self-directed practice and independent lifelong learning
  • PLO 1: Business knowledge
  • PLO 2: Problem solving
  • PLO 3: Business communication
  • PLO 5: Responsible business practice

Global citizens who are culturally adept and capable of respecting diversity and acting in a socially just and responsible way.
  • PLO 1: Business knowledge
  • PLO 2: Problem solving
  • PLO 3: Business communication
  • PLO 4: Teamwork
  • PLO 5: Responsible business practice
  • PLO 6: Global and cultural competence

While our programs are designed to provide coverage of all PLOs and graduate capabilities, they also provide you with a great deal of choice and flexibility.  The Business School strongly advises you to choose a range of courses that assist your development against the seven PLOs and four graduate capabilities, and to keep a record of your achievements as part of your portfolio. You can use a portfolio as evidence in employment applications as well as a reference for work or further study. For support with selecting your courses contact the UNSW Business School Student Services team.





Academic Integrity and Plagiarism

Academic Integrity is honest and responsible scholarship. This form of ethical scholarship is highly valued at UNSW. Terms like Academic Integrity, misconduct, referencing, conventions, plagiarism, academic practices, citations and evidence based learning are all considered basic concepts that successful university students understand. Learning how to communicate original ideas, refer sources, work independently, and report results accurately and honestly are skills that you will be able to carry beyond your studies.

The definition of academic misconduct is broad. It covers practices such as cheating, copying and using another person’s work without appropriate acknowledgement. Incidents of academic misconduct may have serious consequences for students.

Plagiarism

UNSW regards plagiarism as a form of academic misconduct. UNSW has very strict rules regarding plagiarism. Plagiarism at UNSW is using the words or ideas of others and passing them off as your own. All Schools in the Business School have a Student Ethics Officer who will investigate incidents of plagiarism and may result in a student’s name being placed on the Plagiarism and Student Misconduct Registers.

Below are examples of plagiarism including self-plagiarism:

Copying: Using the same or very similar words to the original text or idea without acknowledging the source or using quotation marks. This includes copying materials, ideas or concepts from a book, article, report or other written document, presentation, composition, artwork, design, drawing, circuitry, computer program or software, website, internet, other electronic resource, or another person's assignment, without appropriate acknowledgement of authorship.

Inappropriate Paraphrasing: Changing a few words and phrases while mostly retaining the original structure and/or progression of ideas of the original, and information without acknowledgement. This also applies in presentations where someone paraphrases another’s ideas or words without credit and to piecing together quotes and paraphrases into a new whole, without appropriate referencing.

Collusion: Presenting work as independent work when it has been produced in whole or part in collusion with other people. Collusion includes:

  • Students providing their work to another student before the due date, or for the purpose of them plagiarising at any time
  • Paying another person to perform an academic task and passing it off as your own
  • Stealing or acquiring another person’s academic work and copying it
  • Offering to complete another person’s work or seeking payment for completing academic work

Collusion should not be confused with academic collaboration (i.e., shared contribution towards a group task).

Inappropriate Citation: Citing sources which have not been read, without acknowledging the 'secondary' source from which knowledge of them has been obtained.

Self-Plagiarism: ‘Self-plagiarism’ occurs where an author republishes their own previously written work and presents it as new findings without referencing the earlier work, either in its entirety or partially. Self-plagiarism is also referred to as 'recycling', 'duplication', or 'multiple submissions of research findings' without disclosure. In the student context, self-plagiarism includes re-using parts of, or all of, a body of work that has already been submitted for assessment without proper citation.

To see if you understand plagiarism, do this short quiz: https://student.unsw.edu.au/plagiarism-quiz

Cheating

The University also regards cheating as a form of academic misconduct. Cheating is knowingly submitting the work of others as their own and includes contract cheating (work produced by an external agent or third party that is submitted under the pretences of being a student’s original piece of work). Cheating is not acceptable at UNSW.

If you need to revise or clarify any terms associated with academic integrity you should explore the 'Working with Academic Integrity' self-paced lessons available at: https://student.unsw.edu.au/aim.

For UNSW policies, penalties, and information to help you avoid plagiarism see: https://student.unsw.edu.au/plagiarism as well as the guidelines in the online ELISE tutorials for all new UNSW students: http://subjectguides.library.unsw.edu.au/elise. For information on student conduct see: https://student.unsw.edu.au/conduct.

For information on how to acknowledge your sources and reference correctly, see: https://student.unsw.edu.au/referencing. If you are unsure what referencing style to use in this course, you should ask the lecturer in charge.



Student Responsibilities and Conduct

​Students are expected to be familiar with and adhere to university policies in relation to class attendance and general conduct and behaviour, including maintaining a safe, respectful environment; and to understand their obligations in relation to workload, assessment and keeping informed.

Information and policies on these topics can be found on the 'Managing your Program' website.

Workload

It is expected that you will spend at least ten to twelve hours per week studying for a course except for Summer Term courses which have a minimum weekly workload of twenty to twenty four hours. This time should be made up of reading, research, working on exercises and problems, online activities and attending classes. In periods where you need to complete assignments or prepare for examinations, the workload may be greater. Over-commitment has been a cause of failure for many students. You should take the required workload into account when planning how to balance study with employment and other activities.

We strongly encourage you to connect with your Moodle course websites in the first week of semester. Local and international research indicates that students who engage early and often with their course website are more likely to pass their course.

View more information on expected workload

Attendance and Engagement

Your regular attendance and active engagement in all scheduled classes and online learning activities is expected in this course. Failure to attend / engage in assessment tasks that are integrated into learning activities (e.g. class discussion, presentations) will be reflected in the marks for these assessable activities. The Business School may refuse final assessment to those students who attend less than 80% of scheduled classes where attendance and participation is required as part of the learning process (e.g. tutorials, flipped classroom sessions, seminars, labs, etc.). If you are not able to regularly attend classes, you should consult the relevant Course Authority.

View more information on attendance

General Conduct and Behaviour

You are expected to conduct yourself with consideration and respect for the needs of your fellow students and teaching staff. Conduct which unduly disrupts or interferes with a class, such as ringing or talking on mobile phones, is not acceptable and students may be asked to leave the class.

View more information on student conduct

Health and Safety

UNSW Policy requires each person to work safely and responsibly, in order to avoid personal injury and to protect the safety of others.

View more information on Health and Safety

Keeping Informed

You should take note of all announcements made in lectures, tutorials or on the course web site. From time to time, the University will send important announcements to your university e-mail address without providing you with a paper copy. You will be deemed to have received this information. It is also your responsibility to keep the University informed of all changes to your contact details.




Student Support and Resources

The University and the Business School provide a wide range of support services and resources for students, including:

Business School Learning Support Tools
Business School provides support a wide range of free resources and services to help students in-class and out-of-class, as well as online. These include:

  • Academic Communication Essentials – A range of academic communication workshops, modules and resources to assist you in developing your academic communication skills.
  • Learning consultations – Meet learning consultants who have expertise in business studies, literacy, numeracy and statistics, writing, referencing, and researching at university level.
  • PASS classes – Study sessions facilitated by students who have previously and successfully completed the course.
  • Educational Resource Access Scheme – To support the inclusion and success of students from equity groups enrolled at UNSW Sydney in first year undergraduate Business programs.

The Nucleus - Business School Student Services team
The Nucleus Student Services team provides advice and direction on all aspects of enrolment and graduation. Level 2, Main Library, Kensington 02 8936 7005 / https://nucleus.unsw.edu.au/en/contact-us

Business School Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
The Business School Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee strives to ensure that every student is empowered to have equal access to education. The Business School provides a vibrant, safe, and equitable environment for education, research, and engagement that embraces diversity and treats all people with dignity and respect. BUSEDI@unsw.edu.au

UNSW Academic Skills
Resources and support – including workshops, individual consultations and a range of online resources – to help you develop and refine your academic skills. See their website for details.
academicskills@unsw.edu.au

Student Support Advisors
Student Support Advisors work with all students to promote the development of skills needed to succeed at university, whilst also providing personal support throughout the process.
John Goodsell Building, Ground Floor.
advisors@unsw.edu.au
02 9385 4734

International Student Support
The International Student Experience Unit (ISEU) is the first point of contact for international students. ISEU staff are always here to help with personalised advice and information about all aspects of university life and life in Australia.
Advisors can support you with your student visa, health and wellbeing, making friends, accommodation and academic performance.
International.student@unsw.edu.au
02 9385 4734

Equitable Learning Services
Equitable Learning Services (formerly Disability Support Services) is a free and confidential service that provides practical support to ensure that your health condition doesn't adversely affect your studies. Register with the service to receive educational adjustments.
Ground Floor, John Goodsell Building.
els@unsw.edu.au
02 9385 4734

UNSW Counselling and Psychological Services
Provides support and services if you need help with your personal life, getting your academic life back on track or just want to know how to stay safe, including free, confidential counselling.
Level 2, East Wing, Quadrangle Building.
counselling@unsw.edu.au
02 9385 5418

Library services and facilities for students
The UNSW Library offers a range of collections, services and facilities both on-campus and online.
Main Library, F21.
02 9065 9444

Moodle eLearning Support
Moodle is the University’s learning management system. You should ensure that you log into Moodle regularly.
externalteltsupport@unsw.edu.au
02 9385 3331

UNSW IT
UNSW IT provides support and services for students such as password access, email services, wireless services and technical support.
UNSW Library Annexe (Ground floor).
02 9385 1333



Support for Studying Online

The Business School and UNSW provide a wide range of tools, support and advice to help students achieve their online learning goals. 

The UNSW Guide to Online Study page provides guidance for students on how to make the most of online study.

We recognise that completing quizzes and exams online can be challenging for a number of reasons, including the possibility of technical glitches or lack of reliable internet. We recommend you review the Online Exam Preparation Checklist of things to prepare when sitting an online exam.

ECON2107