Q. Explain about Labour Economies?
Labour Economies: As the size of output increases the firm enjoys labour economies because of (a) specialisation, (b) time-saving (c) automation of the production process and (d) 'cumulative volume' economies. As size of production increases the firm merits from the advantages of division of labour and specialisation of labour that enhance the productivity of the various types of labour. The benefits of division of labour is emphasised by Adam Smith in his book, The Wealth of Nations published in 1776.
Division of labour also condenses the time lost in changing from one type of work to another. Division of labour promotes invention of machines and tools which, in turn, results in mechanisation of the production process. This helps the labour in working faster and therefore, increases the labour productivity. Further, large scale production helps the technical personnel to obtain considerable experience from the 'cumulative effect'. This 'cumulative volume' experience results in higher productivity. Therefore as the size of output increases the unit cost falls.