WAEC 2018 Economics · Question 1

if workers at the school canteen sell during the holidays, this is an example of?

Options

  1. A.structural unemployment
  2. B.frictional unemployment
  3. C.seasonal unemployment
  4. D.residual unemployment

Answer: C. seasonal unemployment

Explanation written with AI and checked against the answer key

Step 1: Analyze the question The question describes canteen workers at a school who are out of work during the holidays. The key idea is that the job disappears at a predictable time of year because of a change in the calendar or season.

Step 2: Explain the concept Types of unemployment:

  • Structural unemployment: caused by changes in the structure of the economy, such as new technology or a decline of an industry, which leaves workers' skills no longer needed.
  • Frictional unemployment: short-term unemployment while workers move between jobs or search for a better one.
  • Seasonal unemployment: caused by regular, predictable changes in demand for labour at certain times of the year, such as farming seasons, tourism, or school terms.
  • Residual unemployment: affects people who cannot work because of physical or mental disability, old age, or similar reasons.

Step 3: Apply to the question Canteen workers are not needed when school is on holiday because there are no students to buy food. The demand for their labour falls in a regular, predictable pattern tied to the school calendar. They are not changing jobs (frictional), their skills have not become obsolete (structural), and they are not unemployable (residual). They will return when school resumes.

Step 4: Answer The correct option is C. seasonal unemployment.

Tip: Whenever unemployment is linked to a time of year or a calendar period (harvest, rainy season, holidays, festive periods), think seasonal. Quick memory aid:

  • Frictional = "in between jobs"
  • Structural = "skills out of date"
  • Seasonal = "time of year"
  • Residual = "unable to work"

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