Every labour market works at the intersection of quality work and demand for labour. While employers look for the best quality and efficiency, workers look for the best job conditions and compensations. When the labour availability meets the demand, the market reaches an equilibrium and this fixes the wage, allowance, and other prospects of the job.
The workforce is the driving force of every project and the companies for manpower supplies always thrive to provide a better workforce in all circumstances. But, the availability and quality of the workforce can vary across regions and domains. A global pandemic has shut down many economies which in turn has affected the labour supply by far. For instance, the labour supply services in Fujairah have reported that workers demand a higher wage since the basic living conditions are challenged with the pandemic taking over the world.
Apart from external factors, there are also factors within the market like job security, working population, and requirements of the industry which largely impact the availability of labour. This article covers the major factors that influence the availability of labour.
Depending on the field of labour, demand and supply can differ according to the seasons. For instance, agricultural labourers would be in high demand during harvest season, construction workers may not be easily available during heavy monsoons, and so on. The sudden change in climatic conditions may also have an impact on the labour supply.
Availability of labour also depends on economic and demographic factors, which may vary across countries and times. Since the pandemic, economies have faced a downfall that has taken away many employment opportunities for the labour force as well as for companies of manpower supply. With the risk of infection and a lower wage, workers are in high demand in various sectors. The overall development of the country is also a factor in the labour availability.
Any workforce requires proper guidance and training to ensure an efficient and productive time at work. This can range from having adequate training resources to technological advances for efficient labour to the equilibrium of the labour market to the accessibility of technological capital.
Apart from the financial security of the job, factors like workplace conditions, safety, holiday allowance, promotional aspects, and other non-wage factors also have a role to play in the labour supply. In order to provide safety to the labour force and ensure availability of labour, government agencies have policies for the occupational safety of employees. In labour-driven countries like the UAE, major cities such as Ajman and Fujairah have labour supply services have strict policies and precautions for the safety of labourers.
The quality of the working population highly impacts the availability of labour in a region. Usually, this includes men of age 16-65 and women of 16-60, who are capable and willing to work. Depending on the health quotient of the working class, quality of labour may differ. Some are prone to ailments, some decide to retire and some avoid physical labour as they age. Development of a country also decides what percent of its working population is fit for manual labour.
