There are factors without which the concept of production would not make sense, and these are factors that affect the volume of production. Factors of production efficiency are quite diverse, since there are a great many resources for it. There are three main groups of factors: land, labor and capital. Water, forests, fields, minerals, etc., that is, something given by nature or created by man (for example, drained swamps) is land.
Labor as also a heterogeneous concept, in a complex meaning the cumulative efforts of people. Since there are a lot of professions and specialties, and each of them requires specific knowledge and skills, appropriate training is needed to obtain them. Training allows you to acquire this knowledge and improve existing skills. The population capable of working is called the labor force. For Russia, the labor force is made up of men (18-60 years old) and women (18-55 years old).
Labor as a factor of production is very important and relevant, since it means the participation of a person in the production process, the use of his own energy and potential. The main elements of labor include objects and purposeful human activity. Main results of work: economic benefits, development and mental), the conditions of human life, the accumulation of knowledge and experience.
Labor is not just an engine of progress, labor is the basis of human existence and life, because under its influence the brain, speech develops, experience is accumulated, skills are improved.
Labor as a factor of production has content and character. According to the content, low-skilled, medium-skilled and highly skilled labor is distinguished.
Labor has quantitative and qualitative characteristics - this is the level of qualification of employees, quantitative - these are costs (number of employees, intensity of labor activity, working hours). The more time it takes to train and train a specialist, the more qualified he is.
In order to determine the nature of labor, it is necessary to conduct a thorough analysis of the combination of the labor force and clarify who and in what quantities appropriates the results of labor. With this in mind, there are three main social free, hired and forced. Forced labor is forced labor (slave labor). Currently, there are the first two types of labor activity.
Free labor is voluntary. This is on oneself when the owner and worker act in one person. A typical example of such activity: entrepreneur, farmer, etc. If labor activity is hired, then the employer and employee are different people, their relationship is formalized employment contract, sometimes by agreement or contract, and according to the results of labor, the employee receives a certain cash reward.
For a long time there was a controversial question whether labor acts as a factor of production or is it a labor force. The physical, mental and intellectual abilities of a person are the labor force. If the employer is interested in the ability of a person to work, then the factor of production is the labor force. If the length of working time is important for him, then this factor is work. In order to work qualitatively, a person must have certain health, abilities and skills, hence it follows that the labor force exists before the start of the labor process.
Labor productivity is the ratio of the result of labor (the number of products produced) in a certain period of time. in turn, depends on a number of factors that can affect it.
To satisfy needs, people obtain the necessary Natural resources and turn them into good things. Production- this is the process of creating material and non-material benefits necessary for the existence and development of a person, satisfying his needs. Marxist political economy distinguishes between production material - includes sectors for the production of material goods (industry, agriculture, construction, public utilities etc.) and intangible - associated with the provision of non-material services and the creation of spiritual values (health, education, culture, art, etc.). These two types of production are interconnected, they exist only together.
The standard of living of a person in society depends on the possibility of producing material and non-material goods. The ability to create wealth depends on the level of development material production, which transforms natural resources into the necessary material products. Consequently, material production is the material basis of the life of society and its development.
In the conditions of the national economy, production has a social character. Each person works individually, expending his labor power, but the process of labor takes place in a society that must recognize the product of his labor. Producers are interconnected through the exchange of products of labor - goods, services, experience, skills. Social production exists only in unity with the distribution, exchange and consumption of goods.
Distribution- this is the process of determining the share, the quantitative proportion in which each business person takes part in the product produced. The distribution is carried out by the owner of the means of production.
Exchange is carried out by products of activity as a process of movement of material goods and services from one subject to another and a form of social connection between producers and consumers. The exchange is also carried out by experience and skills.
Consumption - it is the process of using the results of production to meet certain needs.
The completion of production gives impetus to the emergence of new needs, and the growth of needs causes an increase in production, determines its volume and proportions.
The social product consists of many items that can be divided into two main groups:
- 1) means of production intended for industrial consumption;
- 2) consumables intended for personal consumption of people.
The means of labor and objects of labor form the means of production.
The subject of labor this is the substance of nature, to which the chest of man is directed; represents the material basis of the future finished product. The objects of labor that were previously exposed to it are called raw materials (mined ore) and materials (metals in engineering).
Means of labor- these are the means by which a person acts on the objects of labor, creating a finished product (machines, tools, equipment, etc.). These include the weight and material conditions without which labor cannot be performed (buildings, structures, pipelines, transport communications, means of communication, etc.).
A person sets in motion the means of production - with the help of the means of labor, he acts on an object and creates a product. The interaction of the labor force and the means of production is realized through technology and the organization of production. Technology is a way of human impact on the objects of labor and reflects the technical side of production. The organization ensures the unity of the interaction of workers involved in production, as well as the distribution of work between workers and means of production. By influencing nature with the help of means of labor, people themselves change, accumulating experience and knowledge. This, in turn, creates new opportunities for improving the tools and means of labor, technology and organization of production, and increasing labor productivity.
The means of production and the people who produce material goods form the productive forces.
In the process of production, distribution, exchange and consumption of material goods, people enter into relationships and relationships with each other, which are objective in nature and do not depend on the will and desire of people. K. Marx called these relations production relations. The totality of productive forces and production relations constitutes the mode of production.
The most mobile side social production productive forces are: the means of production are constantly being improved, the level of knowledge and skills of people is rising. By influencing the objects of labor with the help of means of labor, people accumulate experience and knowledge, and change themselves. This provides new opportunities for the development of means of labor, the improvement of technologies, and the growth of labor productivity. The qualitative composition of the means of labor and technologies is determined by the requirements for the levels of competence of the workers themselves.
The relations of production develop under the influence of the productive forces and themselves exert an active influence on them, accelerating or slowing down scientific and technological progress and the growth of production. The basis of production relations is the ownership of the means of production. Industrial relations include production-technical and socio-economic. Production and technical relations act as relations regarding the joint labor of participants in production. These relations are connected with the organization of production. Their basis is the division and cooperation of labor, which lead to the isolation individual works, production units and necessitate the establishment of production links between them.
Socio-economic relations between people are determined by the nature and form of social appropriation of the means of production, ie. property relations. Economic interests are realized through the ownership of the means of production and political power. Socio-economic relations are an important element in creating unity economic interests society, collective and individual workers in achieving the highest production efficiency.
The production process is continuous, because it is necessary to constantly renew the consumed products. The constantly repeating process of social production is called social reproduction. The economic system reproduces all elements of production: means of labor, labor power and production relations.
TOPIC 1. Labor as the basis for the development of society and an important factor of production
1 Subject and tasks of the discipline
2 The concept of labor and its socio-economic role in society
4. Incentives and incentives to work
1. Subject and tasks of the discipline. In modern economic conditions, the study of the problems of labor economics is based on completely new ideas about the functioning and efficiency of labor, the formation and regulation of labor potential, as well as on the analysis of real economic and social processes taking place in the labor sphere.
Labor economics helps to understand very complex issues:
- How will the supply and demand for labor be carried out in the conditions of market conditions?
– How should labor be organized in society and at a particular enterprise (organization) so that the entrepreneur receives the greatest effect (profit), and society as a whole the gross national product?
- How should wages be structured in order to create conditions for increasing its productivity and labor efficiency, as well as raising the level and quality of life of the population?
– How to neutralize unemployment and form a reliable system of social guarantees and social protection population in conditions of inflation and hyperinflation?
How to manage labor resources in order to increase the efficiency of the use of labor potential in society?
Knowledge in the field of labor economics is not only theoretical, but also practical, since it is necessary in the training of highly qualified specialists in the field of management, management, scientific and practical workers, adapted to the labor market, regardless of the scope of their future professional activity.
labor economics- This is a branch of economic science that studies the patterns and methods of rational formation, use and development of a person, organizing and stimulating the effective labor activity of workers in order to maximize the satisfaction of their material and spiritual needs.
Labor economics is closely interconnected with such disciplines about labor as: physiology and sociology of labor, occupational health, labor statistics, demography, regulation and organization of labor, scientific organization labor, personnel management, life safety, labor psychology, labor resources management, political economy, economics of education, ergonomics, labor law, etc.
Constant interaction in the labor system of individuals or groups in certain social and labor conditions give rise to social and labor relations.
social relations- this is a system of relations between individuals, social groups that take an unequal part in the economic, political and spiritual life of society, have differences in social status, way of life, sources and levels of income.
Labor Relations is a natural component of production relations in the labor system. They arise between participants in the labor process on the basis of the division and cooperation of labor due to the need to exchange activities and their products in order to achieve the final production goal.
Subject "Labor Economics". Labor economics as a science forms the laws and principles of social ordering of labor in order to achieve its high efficiency . That's why subject " labor economics » are the economic laws of construction and implementation of labor processes, the conditions for increasing their efficiency and the economic relations of people that arise regarding the formation and use of labor resources both in the country as a whole and in enterprises, organizations, institutions.
Tasks of "Labor Economics". The main task of science is to study the mechanism of action of market economic laws on the formation and use of labor resources at the macro and micro levels and the determination of ways to ensure high labor productivity, growth of national income, and improvement of the quality of life of the population.
The next problem solved by this science is economic- its meaning is to ensure the growth of labor productivity, increase the shift and seasonal output of workers, increase the volume of production, improve its quality, create conditions for the rational use of technology, material and labor resources.
Psychophysiological task"Economics of labor" consists in preserving the health and working capacity of a person, improving and facilitating working conditions. This task is solved on the basis of the achievements of such sciences as psychology, labor physiology, industrial sanitation, hygiene, ergonomics, industrial aesthetics, etc.
social task science is aimed at creating the necessary conditions conducive to the constant growth of the cultural and technical level of workers, their comprehensive and harmonious development.
The most pressing problems of the "Economics of Labor" include:
Improving social and labor relations on the basis of social partnership;
Forecasting the labor market and features of its formation in Ukraine;
Study of the impact of privatization processes on employment and living standards of the population;
Study of the effectiveness of investments in human capital at the personal, micro- and macroeconomic levels;
Development of effective systems for assessing the labor contribution and remuneration;
Search for optimal ways to reproduce the country's human resources potential;
Improving the motivational and incentive mechanism of remuneration;
Social protection of the population.
2. The concept of labor and its socio-economic role in society . The concept of "labor" cannot be considered in a simplified way, since it includes not only economic, but also physiological, social and sociological components.
A) From an economic point of view Labor is any socially useful human activity.
B) From a physiological point of view labor activity is a neuromuscular process due to the accumulation of potential energy in the body.
“Labor is primarily a process that takes place between man and nature, a process in which man, through his activity, mediates, regulates and controls the metabolism between himself and nature”(K. Marx, Capital, vol. 20., p. 286).
From the above definitions it follows that labor is an activity. However, the concept of "activity" is much broader than the concept of "labor", so it has to be limited.
With equal right, we can talk about the activities of both man and the natural forces of nature (the destructive activity of sea surfs, winds), and technology (a conveyor that performs mechanical work, a machine tool), and animals (a horse, an elephant, a monkey, who also work).
But the word "work" in relation to figures of this kind is completely inapplicable, it is possible to say that they "work" only in a poetic metaphor.
Only about a person it is equally legitimate to say that he works and that he works. this implies first constraint: labor we call only human activity.
But human activity is also a very broad concept: it can include the work of Raphael, Michelangelo, Newton, Edison, and the fruitless scooping of water with a sieve by the fabulous Ivan the Fool .. Therefore, we call labor only socially useful human activity - this second constraint. The meaning of this limitation is rather conditional: one and the same engraver, using the same techniques, can produce both full-fledged paper signs and counterfeit credit cards. In the first case, it will be labor, since it is work useful to society; in the second, it will be criminal activity that is harmful to society.
It should be noted that in different epochs society evaluates certain types of human activity differently. Once upon a time, various fortune-telling, removal of damage and the evil eye, prostitution, speculation were considered useful for society and even a charitable deed. In Soviet times, these phenomena were condemned and even punished by law. AT modern conditions in a number of cases, such activities are recognized as labor trade, legalized as a kind of business, although they are despised by the public.
AT) These examples emphasize that the definition of labor contains sociological moment: recognition by society of the usefulness of the activity that we call labor.
Determining the goals, methods and results of work, entrepreneur (commodity producer) solves three main questions :
1) what products, in what quantity and when should be produced? (Labor as a conscious activity);
2) how to produce these products, from what resources, with the help of what technology? (Labor as an expedient, rational activity);
3) For whom should these products be produced? (Labor as a socially useful activity).
Any labor process consists of the following elements : 1) objects of labor, 2) means of labor, 3) production technology, 4) organization of labor, 5) labor itself, as a process of conscious influence on the object of labor in order to manufacture products of labor or provide services.
In general, the labor process can be represented as a person performing four basic labor functions:
1)logical- determination of the goal and preparation of the labor process (familiarization with the conditions, technology, comprehension and planning of work, preparation of means of production for use);
2)performance- bringing the means of production into action by applying physical force or controlling the means of production and natural processes turned into industrial ones;
3)registration and control- monitoring the technological process, changes in the external environment, the progress of the production program;
4)regulation– correction of deviations from the given program and changes in the external environment.
In this way, labor is a purposeful, conscious, organized activity of people aimed at creating material and spiritual benefits necessary to meet the social and personal needs of people.
F. Engels - labor created man. In other words, a person owes labor in the distribution of functions between hands and feet, in the development of speech organs, in the consistent transformation of the brain of an animal into a human brain, after which the actions of a person became conscious.
Throughout their lives, people learn ways to interact with nature, find more advanced forms of organizing production, and try to get a greater effect from their activities. At the same time, people themselves are constantly improving, increasing knowledge, experience, production skills. The dialectic of this process is as follows: first, people modify and improve the tools of labor, and then they change and improve themselves.
The process of human development consists in the continuous renewal and improvement of the tools of labor and the people themselves. Each generation passes on to the next a full stock of knowledge and production experience. This new generation, in turn, acquires new knowledge and experience and passes them on to the next generation. All this happens in an ascending line.
The development of objects and tools of labor is only a necessary condition for the implementation of the labor process itself, but the decisive element of this process is the person himself.
Thus, labor is the basis of life and activity not only of an individual, but of society as a whole.
The nature of labor expresses the form of its social organization, something special that is inherent in social labor in every socio-economic formation (capitalism, socialism, communism). Modern economic reform leads to market relations of all participants in production in society, radically changes production relations. The nature of work is influenced, first of all, the change of forms of ownership, the attitude of workers to the means of production, the rejection of the systematic attraction and distribution of labor resources in the country, the transition to free enterprise based on various organizational and legal forms of ownership and on the free employment of labor through supply and demand in the market labor.
Labor is an expedient activity of people aimed at creating material and cultural values. Labor is the basis and an indispensable condition for the life of people. By influencing the natural environment, changing and adapting it to their needs, people not only ensure their existence, but also create conditions for the development and progress of society.
Any labor process presupposes the existence of an object of labor, means of labor and labor itself as an activity to give the object of labor the properties necessary for a person.
The objects of labor are all that labor is aimed at, which undergoes changes in order to acquire useful properties and thereby satisfy human needs.
The means of labor is what a person uses to influence the objects of labor. These include machines, mechanisms, tools, fixtures and other tools, as well as buildings and structures that create the necessary conditions for effective use these guns.
The means of production are a combination of means of labor and objects of labor.
Technology is a way of influencing the objects of labor, the procedure for using tools of labor.
As a result of the completion of the labor process, products of labor are formed - the substance of nature, objects or other objects that have the necessary properties and are adapted to human needs.
The labor process is a complex, multifaceted phenomenon. The main forms of manifestation of labor are:
The cost of human energy. This is the psycho-physiological side of labor activity, expressed in the expenditure of energy from muscles, brain, nerves, and sense organs. A person's energy costs are determined by the severity of labor and the level of neuropsychological tension, they form such conditions as fatigue and weariness. Working capacity, human health and development depend on the level of human energy consumption.
Interaction of the worker with the means of production - objects and means of labor. This is the organizational and technological aspect of labor activity. It is determined by the level of technical equipment of labor, the degree of its mechanization and automation, the perfection of technology, the organization of the workplace, the qualifications of the worker, his experience, the techniques and methods of work used by him, etc. The organizational and technological parameters of the activity impose requirements on the special training of workers, on their qualification level.
· The production interaction of workers with each other both horizontally (the relationship of participation in a single labor process) and vertically (the relationship between the leader and subordinate) determines the organizational and economic side of labor activity. It depends on the level of division and cooperation of labor, on the form of labor organization - individual or collective, on the number of employees, on the organizational and legal form of the enterprise (institution).
The problems of labor activity are the object of study of many scientific disciplines: physiology and psychology of labor, labor statistics, labor law, etc.
Studying the problem of the development of society is impossible without studying social entity labor, attitudes towards it, since everything that is necessary for the life and development of people is created by labor. Labor is the basis for the functioning and development of any human society, independent of all social forms, a condition for the existence of people, an eternal, natural necessity; without it, human life itself was not possible.
Labor is primarily a process between man and nature, a process in which man, through his own activity, mediates, regulates and controls the metabolism between himself and nature. It should also be taken into account that a person, influencing nature, using and changing it in order to create use values necessary to satisfy his material and spiritual needs, not only creates material (food, clothing, housing) and spiritual benefits (art, literature, science ), but also changes its own nature. He develops his abilities and talents, develops the necessary social qualities in himself, forms himself as a person.
The role of labor in the development of man and society is manifested in the fact that in the process of labor not only material and spiritual values \u200b\u200bare created to meet the needs of people, but also the workers themselves develop, acquire new skills, reveal their abilities, replenish and enrich knowledge. The creative nature of labor finds its expression in the birth of new ideas, the emergence of progressive technologies, more advanced and highly productive tools, new types of products, materials, energy, which, in turn, lead to the development of needs.
Thus, the consequence of labor activity is, on the one hand, the saturation of the market with goods, services, cultural values, on the other hand, the progress of production, the emergence of new needs and their subsequent satisfaction.
The development and improvement of production has a beneficial effect on the reproduction of the population, raising its material and cultural level.
It should be borne in mind that such processes are strongly influenced by politics, interstate and interethnic relations. In the world, not everything is as safe as it looks in the diagram. But, nevertheless, the general trend in the development of human society is directed towards the progress of production, the growth of material well-being and the cultural level of people, the awareness of human rights as the highest value on earth.
The labor process and related social economic results activities are not limited to their own sphere of production and services. The economics and sociology of labor begin with the problem of the formation of the labor force and its supply on the labor market.
Labor is a fundamental anthropological category. AT pre-industrial societies typical is the understanding of labor as constituted by the God-given necessity of human life.
In the psychophysiological aspect, the labor process there is an expedient, productive expenditure of man's physical and nervous energy. With this approach, in each type of work, two characteristics can be distinguished:
- psychophysiological content (the work of the sense organs, muscles, thinking processes);
- the conditions in which work is carried out.
Labor is the expedient activity of people aimed at the creation of material and cultural values. Labor is the basis and an indispensable condition for the life of people. By influencing the environment, changing and adapting it to their needs, people not only ensure their existence, but also create conditions for the development and progress of society.
Labor and work - concepts are not equivalent, not identical. Labor is a social phenomenon, it is inherent only to man. Just as a person's life is impossible outside of society, so there can be no labor without a person and outside of society. Work is a physical concept; it can be performed by a person, an animal, or a machine. Labor is measured by working time, work - by kilograms, pieces. Most often in the literature recent years by labor is meant any mental and physical effort undertaken, in part or in whole, for the purpose of achieving some result, not counting the satisfaction derived directly from the work done itself.
To the objects of labor include: land and its subsoil, flora and fauna, raw materials and materials, semi-finished products and components, objects of production and non-production works and services, energy, material and information flows.
Mandatory elements of labor are the labor force and the means of production.
Labor force is a combination of physical and spiritual abilities of a person that are used by him in the labor process. The labor force is the main, main productive force of society. The means of production consist of objects of labor and means of labor. The objects of labor are products of nature, which in the process of labor undergo one or another change and turn into consumer values. If the objects of labor form the material basis of the product, then they are called basic materials, and if they contribute to the labor process itself or give the basic material new properties, then they are called auxiliary materials. The objects of labor in a broad sense include everything that is sought, mined, processed, formed, i.e. material resources, scientific knowledge.
The means of labor are the instruments of production, with the help of which a person acts on the objects of labor and modifies them. The means of labor include tools and a workplace. The effectiveness of labor is influenced by the totality of properties and parameters of the means of labor, properly adapted to a person or a team as a subject of labor. In the event of a discrepancy between the psychophysiological characteristics of a person and the parameters of the means of labor, the safe mode of operation is violated, and the worker's fatigue increases. The parameters of labor tools depend on the achievements of scientific and technological progress, financial opportunities enterprises for the acquisition of new products, as well as its investment activity.
The alienation of labor is the relationship between the subject of labor and some social function of labor, which develops as a result of a break in their original unity, leading to the impoverishment of the nature of the subject of labor and the rebirth of the alienated function, as well as the process of breaking this unity.
The labor process is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon. The main forms of its manifestation are the costs of human energy, the interaction of the employee with the means of production (objects and means of labor) and the production interaction of workers with each other both horizontally (the relationship of participation in a single labor process) and vertically (the relationship between the leader and the subordinate) . The role of labor in the development of man and society is manifested in the fact that in the process of labor not only material and spiritual values \u200b\u200bare created to meet the needs of people, but also the workers themselves develop, who acquire skills, reveal their abilities, replenish and enrich knowledge. The creative nature of labor finds its expression in the emergence of new ideas, progressive technologies, more advanced and highly productive tools of labor, new types of products, materials, energy, which, in turn, lead to the development of needs.
Thus, in the process of labor activity, not only goods are produced, services are provided, cultural values are created, but new needs appear with the requirements for their subsequent satisfaction. The sociological aspect of the study is to consider labor as a system of social relations, to determine its impact on society.
Labor plays exclusively important role in the implementation and development of human society and each of its members. Thanks to the labor of many thousands of generations of people, a huge potential of productive forces, colossal social wealth has been accumulated, modern civilization has been formed. Further progress of human society is impossible without the development of production and labor.
At all times, labor has been and remains the most important production factor, a type of human activity.
Activity - it is the internal (mental) and external (physical) activity of a person, regulated by a conscious goal.
Labor activity is the leading, main human activity. Since during a life at any moment a person can be in one of two states - activity or inactivity, activity acts as an active process, and inactivity - as a passive one.
Thus, from an economic point of view, labor is a process of conscious, purposeful activity of people, with the help of which they modify the substance and forces of nature, adapting them to meet their needs.
The goals of labor activity may be production consumer goods and the services or facilities needed to produce them. The goals may be the production of energy, media, ideological products, as well as the operation of managerial and organizational technologies. At the same time, it does not matter whether the produced product is needed by a person to satisfy his own needs. The goals of labor activity are given to a person by society, therefore, by its nature, it is social: the needs of society form, determine, direct and regulate it.
In the process of work, a person is affected big number external production and non-production factors that affect its performance and health. The combination of these factors is called working conditions.
Under working conditions is understood as a set of elements of the production environment that affect the functional state of a person, his performance, health, all aspects of his development and, above all, the attitude to work and its efficiency. Working conditions are formed in the process of production and are determined by the type and level of equipment, technology and organization of production.
Distinguish socio-economic and working conditions of work.
Socio-economic working conditions include everything that affects the level of preparation of an employee for participation in labor, the restoration of the labor force (the level of education and the possibility of obtaining it, the possibility of a good rest, living conditions). Production working conditions - These are all elements of the production environment that affect the worker in the process of work, his health and performance, and his attitude to work.
The subject of labor may be an individual employee or a team. Since the means of labor and objects of labor are created by man, he is the main component of labor as a system.
Consequently, labor is a social phenomenon. In the process of labor, a certain system of social and labor relations is formed, which are the core of social relations at any level ( National economy, region, enterprise, individuals).
it social characteristics of labor. But work is based on both psychological and physiological processes. Therefore, an important role in solving the problems of increasing its efficiency is played by the study of human activities and functions. From this follows another definition of the category “labor”.
Labor - this is the process of spending the nervous (mental) and muscular (physical) energy of a person, as a result of which consumer values \u200b\u200bare necessary for the life and development of society.
This characteristic of labor is closely related to its productivity. Reducing energy costs to perform a unit of work is identical to productivity growth, and vice versa, and energy consumption depends on various production and personal factors.
In the concept of labor, various aspects are also distinguished:
– economic(employment of the population, labor market, labor productivity, organization and regulation of labor, payment and material incentives, planning, analysis and accounting of labor);
– technical and technological(technical and technological equipment, electrical and power supply, safety precautions);
– social(content, attractiveness, prestige and motivation, social partnership);
– psychophysiological(severity, tension, sanitary and hygienic working conditions);
– legal(legislative regulation of labor relations, labor market relations).
Such a division is very conditional, since labor problems combine different aspects at the same time, appear in unity or are closely related.
Work, acting as a process of interaction between man and nature, at the same time determines certain relationships between its participants. The following categories are distinguished in the structure of social labor: the content of labor and the socio-economic nature of labor.
Socio-economic nature of labor expresses the form public organization and represents a set of relations between participants in the labor process, distinctive features characteristic of a given mode of production.
One of the most important methodological aspects of the study of labor is the knowledge of its functions. With all the diversity of the latter, it is impossible not to note their dialectical unity. Labor has the following functions:
– way to meet needs(the first and most important function of labor, with which the social existence of a person begins);
– public wealth creator(activity through which a person, satisfying his needs, mediates, regulates, controls the metabolism between himself and nature);
– creator of society and factor of social progress(satisfying needs and creating wealth, labor is at the basis of all social development - it forms the social strata of society and the basis for their interaction);
– human sculptor(creating all the values of human existence, acting as a subject of social development, involving society as a whole in labor, a person develops himself: acquires knowledge and professional skills, forms communication and interaction skills);
– the force that opens the way for humanity to freedom(giving people the opportunity to take into account in advance the increasingly remote natural and social consequences of their actions).
The content of labor these are the functional features of a particular type of labor activity, due to the subject of labor, means of labor and the form of organization of the production process. These features cover the degree of responsibility and complexity of labor, the level of technical capabilities, the ratio of executive functions, the level of technical equipment, the degree of diversity of labor functions.
The content of labor expresses the distribution of functions in the workplace and is determined by the totality of operations performed, shows the level of development of productive forces. Each stage in the development of the productive forces makes its own demands on labor, creates the preconditions for the formation of a certain type of worker, and changes the ratio of those employed in work of various content.
The transformations taking place in modern conditions in the economy, means and objects of labor require an increase in the professional training of workers. This is due to the complication of the content of labor, which reflects the interaction of a person and tools in the process of labor activity and represents the composition of labor functions - a set of actions performed by an employee, their correlation and interconnection.
Main factors changing content of labor development of means of production, scientific and technological progress, transformation of equipment and production technology. Under the influence of these factors, labor is gradually liberated from the restrictions that constrain human capabilities. A person with his abilities and skills for work still remains the main element of production, but the content of labor is changing. It is realized in actions to apply scientific knowledge, exercise control and regulation in strict accordance with the requirements of the achievements of science and technology.
The content is distinguished: labor in the sphere of material production, in the sphere of services, in the sphere of science, culture and art, in other spheres; labor in certain branches of material and non-material production, for example, labor in mechanical engineering, in light and food industries, in construction, in agriculture, on transport; labor by type of activity - the labor of an entrepreneur, manager, administrator, specialist, employee, scientist, engineer, worker, farmer; and finally, labor according to professions and specialties. The content of work, for example, a process engineer, a fitter, a tractor-combine operator, an artist, a musician, a salesman, a scientist, an accountant can be strictly indicated by describing distinctive features each type of activity.
The nature of labor
economic science, considering the process of social development, he singles out periods in it not only by the level of diversity of productive forces (the nature of the tools of labor), but also by the form of their application (the nature of people's relations in the process of creating material goods and services).
Social division of labor led to separation various kinds labor activity in independent spheres. And, first of all, in physical and mental labor. With the development of manufactory, the division of labor into mental and physical took place directly in production. Large-scale machine production, deepening the social division of labor, separating the producer from the means of production, turned him into a performer, deprived of the opportunity to express his social will.
The complex cooperation of labor presupposes its division, when in a single manufacturing process different but interrelated specific types of labor are combined. In modern labor, certain production relations are established between individual workers, primarily relations of cooperation and division of labor.
Under nature of work its socio-economic side is understood, expressing the type of social organization of labor and the attitude of workers towards it. The nature of labor is determined by the system of production relations and depends on the degree of development of the material and technical base of a given mode of production. At the same time, the type of social organization of labor is manifested in the way workers are connected with the means of production, in specific forms of the division of labor and its social structure, in conjunction certain types labor.
The nature of labor expresses the degree of development of industrial relations and reveals the process of human interaction with society.
To indicators of the nature of work include:
- form of ownership;
- the attitude of workers to work;
- relations of distribution of produced products and services;
- the degree of social differences in the labor process.
There are the following types of work: free and bonded; personal and public; individual and collective; meaningful and non-content; mental and physical; creative and routine; prestigious and not prestigious; varying degrees of severity and harmfulness; tense and unstressed.
The general classification of labor can be represented by a diagram (Scheme 2.2).
The nature of labor is determined by the size and originality of the expenditure of labor, environmental factors, and features of the technological process. A person's expenditure of nervous and muscular energy in large quantities is manifested in the development of negative conditions: overwork, emotional stress, increased mental tension, anxiety, and lack of motivation.
In addition, they affect the activity of a person outside of working hours, the development of his creative abilities, the structure of consumption, the rhythm of life, the way of spending free time.
Labor - it is a process characterized by the expenditure of time and energy of a person aimed at transforming the resources of nature into material, social, intellectual, aesthetic and spiritual benefits. Such activities can be carried out either by coercion (administrative, economic), or by internal motivation, or both.
As for the satisfaction received from the labor process, which is stipulated in the above definition, it significantly depends on the share of creativity in this type of activity, its goals, conditions for implementation, as well as on individual features worker. The more satisfaction a person receives from the labor process, the more in normal social conditions benefit to the company and society.
