the ability to work, a set of physical and intellectual abilities that a person has and which are used by him in the production of life benefits. Labor power really exists in the personality of the worker and is the main productive force of society, the primary (along with land, nature) factor of wealth, the determining element of the productive forces. Labor force statistics in developed countries usually include all employed (including military personnel) and unemployed. The category "economically active population" is synonymous with the concept. In the changes taking place in the sectoral structure of the labor force in recent decades, two major trends can be traced: a sharp decline in the number of people employed in agriculture and a significant increase in them in the service sector. Evolution of the professional and qualification structure of the workforce is also noticeable. The predominant category has become predominantly intellectual workers, the so-called "white collars". Number of employees manual labor is reduced both absolutely and relatively. Among the main directions state regulation labor force can be distinguished: 1) programs to stimulate employment growth and increase the number of jobs in the public sector; 2) programs for training and retraining of personnel; 3) programs to promote the recruitment of labor; 4) programs for social insurance of unemployment.

The number of people willing to work for hire. V different countries this indicator is calculated in different ways. It usually includes the number of workers with the addition of registered unemployed. There are age and other restrictions. For example, American statistics take into account people who are at least 16 years old. There are certain methodological questions - for example, whether to include in this indicator the “self-employed” population (small entrepreneurs, farmers, artists) or only those who are employed. In most cases, this category of the population is included in another indicator - “economically active population”.

Sometimes the labor force is also understood as employees of an enterprise, often with the exception of administrative personnel.

Work force in popular literature and journalism - workers. Most often, this refers to manual workers performing low-skilled work. Usually no distinction is made between voluntary employment and forced labor. Example: "The objectives of the occupation regime were the destruction of the USSR as a state and the transformation of its territory into an agrarian and raw material appendage and a source of cheap labor for Germany and its allies."

Labor force in the theory of Karl Marx

Karl Marx in his work "Capital" asserted the following:

• Under the conditions of the capitalist mode of production, labor is a specific commodity. The bearer of the workforce is its owner and is legally free to dispose of it. At the same time, he does not have the means of production for independent management, and in order to obtain a means of subsistence, he is forced to sell his labor power.
• The cost of labor is determined by the cost of maintaining the worker's life and the proper level of working capacity, his sufficient training, education and reproduction. These costs greatly depend on the level economic development country, climatic conditions, intensity and complexity of labor, employment of women and children. The cost of labor is manifested in the form of wages, which is additionally influenced by the situation in the economy and on the labor market. During a period of economic growth and increased employment, wages can significantly exceed the cost of labor, which allows workers to significantly improve their financial situation. During a recession, wages can fall below the cost of labor, which leads to the expenditure of previously accumulated stocks and to a sharp deterioration in the situation of workers.

• The value (utility) of labor power as a commodity is the ability in the process of labor (use by the capitalist of the purchased labor power) to create a new value, which is usually greater than the value paid to the worker. Such an excess was called by Marx surplus value... It is the surplus value that serves as the basis for the formation of profit.

• Labor is not always a commodity. It may not belong to a person and can be taken away without an equivalent exchange (for example, from a slave or serf). A person may not have legal freedom (prisoner, child). A person can work independently and then sell the results of labor, and not his own labor (artisan, artist, farmer, private entrepreneur, if they do not use hired workers).

Criticism of the Marxist approach

Part economic theories do not recognize labor as an independent commodity. They usually claim to be sold directly work... They explain the formation of profit by the special properties of capital or payment for the rarity of entrepreneurial talent.

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Synonyms:

See what "Labor" is in other dictionaries:

See The Power of the Working Dictionary of Business Terms. Academic.ru. 2001 ... Business glossary

- (labor force) The number of people fit for work. It is influenced by many factors. The working age of the population depends on obtaining an average and higher education, which entails a reduction in the number of young people ... ... Economic Dictionary

Noun, number of synonyms: 6 soul (59) working unit (3) workers (5) ... Synonym dictionary

1) in the statistics of most countries, the economically active population includes employed and unemployed; .. 2) a person's ability to work, that is, the totality of his physical and mental abilities, required qualifications, skills, experience, used ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

WORKER 2, ah, her. Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 ... Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

work force- - EN labor force Themes security environment EN labor force DE Arbeitskräfte FR main d oeuvre ... Technical translator's guide

work force- Part of the country's population with the necessary physical development, knowledge and practical experience for work in the national economy. Syn .: manpower ... Geography Dictionary

1) in modern economics economically active population, includes employed and unemployed; 2) in Marxist theory, a person's ability to work, that is, the totality of his physical and mental abilities, the required qualifications, ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

WORK FORCE- (labor power) 1. General term for employees in an organization. 2. (Marxism) the ability to work, which is bought and used by capitalists and from which the capitalist extracts surplus value (see also Labor theory of value) ... Comprehensive explanatory sociological dictionary

Work force- the ability to work, a set of physical and intellectual abilities that a person has and which are used by him in the production of life benefits. Labor power really exists in the personality of the worker and is the main ... ... Dictionary of Economic Theory

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Definition 1

Labor force is the ability to labor activity, i.e. a set of characteristics and properties of a person that are necessary for him to work.

The concept of labor and its formation

In some cases, the labor force is considered to be real and potential workers, i.e. labor resources. Often the concept of labor power implies the total number of workers in a particular branch of the economy.

Labor force is the ability to work, it includes the physical and intellectual abilities that a person has and uses them in the production of life benefits. Labor force can operate only in a system of concrete production relations, forms the main productive force of society, is the determining element of the forces of production.

Influencing the substance of nature in the process of labor, changing it, a person improves his labor skills, gains production experience, receives both theoretical and technical knowledge. The determining role in the composition of labor functions is played by the level of development of means of labor.

The conditions for the use of labor force directly depend on the method of its connection with the means of production. In a market economy, labor is a commodity, therefore it has a use value. The cost of labor depends on the value of the means of subsistence, which are necessary for normal labor activity. The price of labor power changes along with the level of political and economic development of the state, depends on natural and climatic conditions, organization of workers, national traditions, etc.

Contradictory impact on the change in the cost of labor has scientific and technical progress... The huge development of production, the growth of labor productivity in society lead to a decrease in the cost of means of consumption, which in turn reduces the cost of labor as a commodity. However, there are other factors that, on the contrary, increase the price of labor. For example, the intensification of production processes causes additional costs to compensate for the large expenditure of human nervous and physical energy.

The process of forming the workforce includes preparing the employee for work, which dates back to preschool institutions... Education is the main value, without which it is impossible to form a labor force.

The role of the labor force in the modern economy

Labor demand and supply depend on demographic, migration and socio-psychological factors. Labor demand can be:

• Satisfactory. This is the number of workers employed by companies over time;
• Unsatisfactory - the number of vacancies;
• Predictable. This is the demand for specialists and workers, taking into account the prospects for the development of the company.

Scientific and technological progress and the development of a market economy increase the requirements for the characteristics of the labor force (its quality).

Remark 1

The quality of the labor force is understood as the totality of professional, educational and psychophysiological characteristics that make a person capable of performing labor activities.

The quality criteria include the level of education, professional training, employee motivation, the ability of the organizational structure of the company to disclose everything professional quality employee.

An important part of social reproduction is the reproduction of labor, i.e. continuous restoration of the physical and maintenance of the mental abilities of workers, continuous improvement of the qualifications of personnel, ensuring their professional development.

The cost of labor can change both up and down.

In the direction of increasing the cost, the following factors influence:

• Increasing the intensity of labor;
• Increasing material, social and spiritual needs;
• Increasing complexity labor resources;
• The degree of pollution of the environment;
• Increase in value educational services, health services, etc .;
• Improving the quality of labor.

The decrease in the cost of labor is associated with:

• An increase in social productivity of labor;
• Deterioration in the quality of labor;
• Increase in payroll taxes;
• Frequent use of female and child labor, as well as labor of migrants, which is cheaper.

Labor force categories in industrial production

The payroll of the enterprise contains both industrial and production personnel and employees of non-industrial divisions.

Industrial production personnel include those employed directly in the production and maintenance of production. We list the categories of industrial production personnel:

1. Workers, which include workers involved in the production of goods, maintenance of equipment, movement finished products etc.;
2. Specialists, i.e. employees who are engaged in the preparation and execution of documents, keep records and control;
3. Managers are employees who hold managerial positions at various levels.

The personnel of non-industrial subdivisions consists of employees employed in housing, communal services, subsidiary plots, educational institutions, dispensaries, etc.

The criterion for assessing personnel management is the turnover of the labor force. There are some measures that can be taken to reduce fluidity:

• Effective personnel selection procedures;
• Analytical ways of evaluating work;
• Using techniques and methods of a balanced personnel policy;
• Maximum full use of labor potential;
• Improvement of the personnel development system;
• Improving working conditions, etc.

The main task of any entrepreneur is to maintain the quality and quantity of labor, since it is the most valuable commodity in the labor market.

Organization theory: lecture notes Tyurina Anna

1. The concepts of labor and labor

Work- this is the most important quality characteristic of any production process. The quality of the goods produced and, as a consequence, the demand for it, depend on the quality of labor. This is especially important when the firm is in a non-price competition. Thus, labor is the determining factor of production, since through it there is a qualitative merger of the fixed assets of the enterprise (equipment, technologies) and working capital (raw materials, various materials).

Work force- a specific product, a factor of production directly involved in the process of creating new goods and services to meet the needs of economic agents. The number of labor force is determined by such concepts as "employment" and "unemployment", and it is they that characterize the economic situation in the country. Labor force is the people involved in production, on the one hand, and the totality of human abilities, on the other. The quality of the labor force shows the degree of efficiency of the market economy, how competitive it is in this respect. The labor force, at first glance, represents the number of people of working age and capable of work. It is also the totality of a person's physical and spiritual abilities. In other words, in order to be considered a worker in a particular field of activity, an individual must have a share of professionalism, diligence and experience, which determines the quality of his work.

For the distribution of labor, there is a labor market, where transactions are made between entrepreneurs and employees. One of the forms of such a market is the labor exchange, which distributes all able-bodied subjects of the economy to its branches, thereby making up for the lack of workers in organizations and enterprises and increasing the total volume of production. The following conditions for the emergence of the “labor force” product can be distinguished:

1) the worker must be a legally free person, that is, at his own discretion to dispose of his own abilities and use the available opportunities;

2) the employee must be deprived of the means of production, which he can receive only in exchange for the sale of his labor qualities.

The labor force has certain qualities.

1. It forms a single whole with the owner and brings him income.

2. If the work of an employee is not realized for a long time, then his efficiency decreases over time. Labor is a fickle factor of production, since knowledge, skills, experience and other professional qualities of an employee may be lost. Therefore, in order to carry out effective activities, they must be regularly involved in the production process.

3. The bearer of labor qualities, that is, the person himself, cannot be an object of purchase and sale, such is only his labor as the ability to create material and intangible benefits, various goods, the circulation of which in the market is the basis of the entire economic life of the country.

Thus, in any country, an important problem is to increase the labor force. For this, the state, as the supreme authority, invests, subsidizes and encourages labor activity.

The term “ human capital"As a set of knowledge, skills and professional experience... Associated with this type of capital is the concept of "personnel drain", that is, enticing valuable specialists to a new place of work with the provision of better working conditions and wages... As a rule, it is international in nature.

This text is an introductory fragment. From the book Organization Theory: Lecture Notes the author Tyurina Anna

2. Labor force movement Each enterprise is interested in creating a stable team of workers. This allows you to achieve a certain balance of labor activity in the enterprise, as a result of which the most important indicators, such as labor productivity and its

From the book Management author Dorofeeva LI

54. Attracting an effective workforce HR planning includes three stages: 1) determining the future needs of the enterprise in the workforce arising from production plans, sales forecasts, the general strategy of the enterprise; 2) assessing the strengths and weaknesses available

From the book Management: lecture notes author Dorofeeva LI

5. Attracting an efficient workforce. HR planning, sources, methods and criteria for recruitment and selection of personnel HR planning includes three stages:

From the book Effective motivation by Keenan Keith

6. Formation of an efficient workforce. Personnel training and development. Career management An important stage in HR management is personnel development, which includes professional orientation and adaptation in the team, as well as training and retraining of personnel.

From the book Manager's Career by Iacocca Lee

7. Maintaining high efficiency of the workforce. Determination of the personnel remuneration system. Dismissal The next stage of HR management is the assessment of the employees' performance and its results. Performance appraisal is the process of determining how well employees are doing.

From the book Human Resource Management: tutorial the author Spivak Vladimir Alexandrovich

Improving the working atmosphere A pleasant working atmosphere sets you up for positive results. Working conditions by themselves do not make you perform better, but it does help to alleviate some of the grievances. workplace more comfortable

From the book Manager's Rules and Taboos the author Vlasova Nelly Makarovna

XXVI. High price Workforce As someone who comes from a family of hard-working immigrants, I profess the dignity of work. In my opinion, the time and energy spent by workers should be well paid. I am certainly not a socialist, but I am a supporter

From the book Creative Approach to Teamwork author Noyer Didier

5.4. The concepts of rationing and organization of labor, their meaning Without norms of expenditure of material factors and labor, it is impossible to plan activities, set clear goals, and determine the results. Norms of different kinds are standards based on scientific or worldly

From the book Principled Leadership by Covey Stephen R

Memorandum of Work Responsibility As an employee of an organization, by entering into a certain relationship with it, I receive social benefits from the organization, in response to which I undertake the following obligations: 1. To be active. Give your labor, your abilities and talents

From the book Management Practice by human resourses the author Armstrong Michael

Source: "Human Resources"

Labor force is a combination of physical and intellectual abilities of a person to work. In a market economy, this is a commodity, however, unlike other types of commodities, the following features are inherent in labor:

1.the product creates value, and more than it is worth (or, more precisely, what the employer estimates it);

2. no production is possible without attracting this type of product;

3. the degree (efficiency) of the use of fixed and circulating production assets, the economy of the economic structure as a whole, depends on the labor force.

The cost criterion of the labor force depends on many factors, such as the ratio of unemployment and employment, the degree of development of social partnership, region, industry affiliation of the enterprise and many others.

The assessment of the performer's workforce is a conclusion about the employee's performance of his labor function... It is expressed in a formal and systematic assessment by the leader of his subordinates. In most cases, it is based on subjective perception, depending on the "recommendation reviews" of competing employees or "helpful" partners. As a result, the cost of highly skilled labor decreases, and then competent personnel are generally squeezed out of the labor market, being replaced by less competent and less qualified, but "convenient" workers. Especially often, the process of trampling on intellectual potential is observed in the scientific field, where the most essential in the placement of personnel are related and inherent ties.

This state of affairs causes, at least, bewilderment, since in theory, the methodology for assessing the labor force has been developed in sufficient detail and widely.

For example, the following techniques are used:

1. ranking (a manager ranks his subordinates according to their merits);

2. point assessment (point or non-digital: bad, below average, average, above average, very good);

3. a scale (usually with five points) for the registration of personal characteristics;

4. a system of strengths and weaknesses, allowing the leader to note the sides of the work of his subordinates;

5. Conversations, during which the subordinate talks about his successes and failures during the survey period, in the process of which complex problems of the use of labor are solved and, together with its bearer, a cost estimate is made.

The purpose of the employee assessment:

Improving the quality of performance of a labor task;

Collection of information for making a decision on the level of qualifications of an employee;

Compliance with labor standards;

Creation of a basis for differentiated wages;

Collecting facts to minimize the subjectivity of the conclusion about the quality of the workforce;

Obtaining information on the need for training and retraining of personnel;

Collecting data to create an exemplary image of a future performer;

Stimulation individuals and groups as a whole towards adherence to labor standards;

Strengthening the moral factor of production;

Providing the basis for the formation of new standards and performance targets.

Carrying out a balanced personnel policy in the organization should be based on strict records of employees.

The payroll of the organization's employees represents all those hired for permanent and temporary work related to the main and non-core activities of the organization, for a period of one day or more.

The payroll includes: actually working, being idle and absent for any reason (business trips, annual vacations, absent by permission of the administration or due to illness, performing state and public duties, involved in agricultural work, being in maternity leave, students of colleges and schools that are on the balance sheet of the enterprise, working part-time or weekly, homeworkers), if they retain their jobs and wages.

The question rightly arises: are there people on the payroll who are absent from work without the permission of the administration and for no valid reason? It is obvious that while the person is labor relations, then it is included in the staff of the organization and in the payroll.

The payroll of an enterprise may include both industrial and production personnel and personnel of non-industrial divisions.

Industrial production personnel (PPP) are those employed directly in production activities and maintenance of production: employees of the main and auxiliary workshops, plant management apparatus, laboratories, research and development departments, computing centers, etc.

Industrial - production personnel are divided into the following categories of workforce:

A. Workers- these are workers directly involved in the production of products, as well as the repair and maintenance of equipment, the movement of objects of labor and finished products, in addition, this group includes the MOP and the security of the organization;

B. Specialists- these are workers involved in the preparation and execution of documents, accounting and control, economic services (for example, extras, agents, etc.);

V. Leaders- these are workers employed in managerial positions at various levels (foreman, shop manager, manager, director, manager).

The personnel of non-industrial subdivisions includes employees employed in housing, communal and subsidiary farming, health centers, dispensaries, educational institutions, etc.

Obviously, the assessment criteria for workers in the industrial and non-industrial sectors should be different. It is also necessary to take a differentiated approach to the issue of assessing employees of various ranks of the career ladder. To this end, the organization within personnel structure should create a sector personnel rating, consisting of highly qualified specialists of various specializations: psychologists, sociologists, lawyers and other narrow specialists on issues of certain groups of workers, such as: young people, the elderly, women, veterans. With such a comprehensive solution to the issue, the subjectivity of the assessment of workers will be reduced to a minimum. The same personnel group can form the basis of the attestation commission, the work of which, with this formulation of the question, will not be periodic (once every two to four years), but permanent.

As one of functional responsibilities rating group can be defined preemptive right to remain at work in accordance with Art. 34 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation when reducing the number or staff, as well as resolving the issue of employment within the organization, as a mandatory measure prior to the dismissal of an employee, as well as monitoring staff turnover in the organization.

Staff turnover is determined by the labor turnover index (expressed by the number of laid-off workers as a percentage of the average number of employees during the year). The net labor turnover is determined by the formula: the ratio of the difference between the total number of those laid off during the period under consideration and those inevitably laid off to the average number of employees, multiplied by 100%.

There are many reasons for employee turnover, and one of them is the assessment of the cost of labor in an organization. The female fluidity is much higher than the male one. At present, this is even caused by not even increased guarantees (women, in order to stay at work, "turn a blind eye" to a direct violation labor legislation, voluntarily refuse the benefits and guarantees provided by the state in connection with motherhood), but outright discrimination, for example, arbitrarily cuts the salary: one amount is indicated in the statement, and a smaller one is given out.

The high turnover of the workforce is the result of mismanagement of the organization and unsuccessful personnel policy. There are a number of preventive measures for staff turnover, both economic, organizational and moral:

Use of effective personnel selection procedures;

The use of analytical methods for assessing the work of employees;

Introduction of methods and techniques for a balanced personnel policy;

The widest possible use of the abilities of workers;

Improving the on-the-job training system and, above all, in production itself;

Improvement of the communication system;

Improving working conditions;

Implementation of group and individual principles of morality;

Strengthening the effect of obtaining satisfaction from work through moral and material motivation of work.

Labor is the most valuable commodity in the labor market. And until the entrepreneur realizes this, the Russian economy will be in a hole. Delaying the process of impoverishment of the labor force will inevitably lead to an irreversible result - its degradation.

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