Division of labour Cambridge IGCSE Economics (9–1) revision
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In plain words
One person making a whole shirt alone must cut, sew, add buttons and press, and is slow at all of them. Split the job so that each worker does one step all day, and together they make far more shirts.
This is division of labour: workers specialising in one task.
5 things to know
- Division of labour is when production is broken down into separate tasks and each worker specialises in one or a few of them.
- Advantages to a firm: workers become faster and more skilled with practice, less time is wasted moving between tasks, training is quicker and cheaper, and machines can be used. Output per worker rises and the cost of each unit falls.
- Advantages to workers: they can do what they are best at, and greater skill may earn higher pay.
- Disadvantages: repeating one task is boring, which can lower motivation and quality. If one stage stops, the whole production line stops.
- A worker with one narrow skill may struggle to find another job if that skill is no longer wanted.
Tips and tricks
- Give advantages and disadvantages for the right group. A question may ask about workers or about firms, and the answers differ.
- Boredom is a disadvantage for workers that becomes one for firms: bored workers make more mistakes and leave more often.
It lands in your notebook with its questions as flashcards.
Division of labour: 5 questions and answers
These are the quiz’s questions. Do the quiz first, then come back here for the ones that got you.
Division of labour means that
The work is divided, and each person does one part.
Which is an advantage of division of labour to a firm?
Practice at one task makes workers faster.
Which is a disadvantage of division of labour to a worker?
Repetition lowers job satisfaction.
A car factory uses division of labour. The workers who fit the wheels go on strike. What is likely to happen?
Each stage depends on the others.
Why does division of labour reduce a firm's training costs?
Training for one narrow task is quicker and cheaper than training for the whole job.
Quiz
5 questions
Tap an answer and you’ll see straight away whether it’s right, and why.
Worksheet
3 questions, 8 marks. Write your answers on paper, then check them.
Division of labour
Cambridge IGCSE Economics (9–1) 0987 · 8 marks · papermunch.org
Name ______________________________ Date ______________
Define division of labour.[2]
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Breaking production down into separate tasks, with each worker specialising in one task or a small number of tasks.
Explain two advantages of division of labour to a firm.[3]
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Workers repeat one task, so they become faster and more skilled, raising output per worker. Each worker needs training for only one task, so training costs less.
Explain one disadvantage of division of labour to a worker.[3]
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Doing the same task over and over is boring, so the worker may lose job satisfaction. With only one narrow skill, the worker may find it hard to get other work if the job goes.
Answers: Division of labour
- 1. Breaking production down into separate tasks, with each worker specialising in one task or a small number of tasks.
- 2. Workers repeat one task, so they become faster and more skilled, raising output per worker. Each worker needs training for only one task, so training costs less.
- 3. Doing the same task over and over is boring, so the worker may lose job satisfaction. With only one narrow skill, the worker may find it hard to get other work if the job goes.