JOURNAL OF APPLIED BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS
Unemployment and Productivity in the American Economy
Author(s): Adil H. Mouhammed
Citation: Adil H. Mouhammed, (2012) "Unemployment and Productivity in the American Economy," Vol. 13, Iss. 4, pp. 52-58
Article Type: Research paper
Publisher: North American Business Press
Abstract:
This paper aims at analyzing the unemployment problem as is related to productivity. Higher labor
productivity will increase demand for labor, because workers will contribute significantly to firms’
revenues relative to their wages. Having estimated the effect of productivity on the rate of unemployment,
the paper suggests several economic policies aiming at solving this basic problem that has generated
misery and poverty for many people and less tax revenues for the states and the Federal government. Not
surprisingly, unemployment can be reduced over the business cycle but cannot be eliminated, because a
low rate of unemployment will increase wages of the working people and reduce their labor intensity and
productivity over the late expansionary phase of the business cycle.