The division of labor is the separation of certain types of labor activity according to common features. The process of division of labor has developed historically. Depending on some signs, certain types of labor activity were “combined”.

There are several types of division of labor:

• Public. It has gone through a number of stages, as a result of which whole branches of one or another type of activity have emerged with the allocation of classes of society.
  Stages of social division of labor:
  1. As a result of the separation of agriculture from gathering, agriculture was formed, and with it the class of society - the peasantry.
  2. As a result of the separation of craft from Agriculture industry emerged. As a consequence, a class of artisans who then became industrialists;
  3. From crafts and agriculture, trade emerged, and a class - merchants.
  4. From trade "follows" banking and finance. A class of usurers is formed.
  5. As a result, management is formed as a process for managing enterprises. A class of technocrats appears - the technical intelligentsia.
• Private division of labor within industries. Entire sectors are being formed “within” industry, agriculture and other large areas of activity.
  For example, in industry there was a separation of light and heavy industry.
• Single - directly at the enterprise. For example, allocation at the enterprise of departments.

All forms of division of labor are interconnected. "Under the pressure" of the social division of labor, in each major field of activity there was a separation of industries, which led to the separation of departments and departments at enterprises.

Many factors influence the division of labor. It:

• Technical progress. Under its influence, new tools of labor appear, the use of which leads to the release of new types of materials and energy;
• Automation and mechanization of production. This leads to a change in the structure of entire industries. Within the enterprise, changes occur in technological processes and in vocational training frames.
  Improvement of technologies in individual industries. This leads to a change in the tools of labor in production.

Public division labor includes specialization and cooperation.
Specialization is the division of labor within an entire industry. At the same time, each participant labor process performs a separate labor function. This is one of the basic conditions for the existence of a modern market economy.
Cooperation is an association of specialized performers in the course of labor activity.

There are several forms of cooperation:

• within the enterprise;
• within the industry;
• within society.

Specialization and cooperation lead to the fact that people tend to get narrow knowledge in any particular field of science, focus on one occupation.
Consequences of this:

• increase in production efficiency;
• most effective use available resources;
• effective use of their knowledge, skills and abilities;
• merger of several industries into one manufacturing process for work efficiency. This leads to the "branching" of completely new industries and technologically new production processes.

The development of technological progress strongly influences the division of labor, the allocation of new specialties and the cooperation of existing ones. With the improvement of technology to replace manual labor machine labor came, and the worker turned into a highly qualified specialist.

The division of labor is a process that develops historically by separating, changing and consolidating some. It is implemented in society in the form of fulfillment by its members. various works.

In ancient times, people were forced to provide for themselves on their own. It was so inefficient and only contributed to the preservation of primitive life that even then the first social division of labor took place. It became possible thanks to the advent of trade. You can read more about this at the beginning of Adam Smith's treatise.

Distinguish social division of labor and international. The latter type is a way of organizing the economy in the world, when each of the countries specializes in the production of a particular type of service or product, and then exchanges them. And the social division of labor is when social functions distributed among the members of society. First of all, two large groups can be distinguished: managerial labor and productive labor.

The basic principle of the division of labor is the combination of the specialization of a particular employee with an increase in his technical level, and hence productivity.

The faster the development the latest technologies, the more difficult the processes for the division of labor become, they must correspond to them, not stand still, but also develop and deepen. This is due to the fact that its forms affect many aspects: the equipment of work places, their maintenance, and specialization. Also, the methods and methods of labor, its norms depend on them. Various forms its division and cooperation ensure a uniform load on workers, the synchronism of their work.

The essence of the division of labor is the allocation of those that do not represent the entire production process, but its individual parts and are assigned to specific workers. This is done in order to be able to perform various operations in parallel. In addition, it accelerates the acquisition of skills by workers.

At the same time at the enterprise, the social division of labor can take place in the following forms: subject, technological, functional, program-targeted, qualification and professional.

When split into separate technological operations, phases or stages, there is a technological division of labor. It depends on the type of work and can be operational, substantive and detailed.

The functional division of labor occurs when a specific type of work is performed by a group of workers who specialize in performing certain functions.

The professional division of labor depends on the type of profession acquired by specialists. Workers perform in their places only the type of work that lies within the framework of the profession they have acquired.

The qualification division of labor is caused by differences in the level of knowledge and experience of workers.

The production of specific types of products by employees and departments causes an objective division of labor. These can be, for example, parts, products, assemblies.

The essence of the linear division of labor (included in the functional) is to establish on certain object(workshop, section) managers. Their rights, roles and responsibilities are clearly demarcated.

The formation of groups of workers in order to solve specific problems forms a program-targeted division of labor. In practice, this looks like a complete set of teams (creative, labor) for a while.

What form of division of labor to choose is influenced by the volume of products that are produced, its complexity and other factors. Such features, in turn, give rise to certain boundaries of labor.

The basis of economic development is the creation of nature itself - the division of functions between people, based on age, sex, physical, physiological and other characteristics. The mechanism of economic cooperation assumes that some group or individual focuses on the implementation of strictly a certain kind jobs, while others are engaged in other activities.

There are several definitions of the division of labor. Here are just a few of them.

Division of labor is a historical process of isolation, consolidation, modification certain types activities that take place in public forms differentiation and implementation of various types of labor activity. The division of labor in society is constantly changing, and the system itself various kinds labor activity becomes more and more complex, as the process of labor itself becomes more complex and deepened.

division of labor(or specialization) is the principle of organizing production in the economy, according to which an individual is engaged in the production of a separate good. Thanks to the operation of this principle, with a limited amount of resources, people can get much more benefits than if everyone would provide himself with everything he needs.

They also distinguish between the division of labor in a broad and narrow sense (according to K. Marx).

In a broad sense division of labor- this is a system of different in their characteristics and at the same time interacting with each other types of labor, production functions, occupations in general or their combinations, as well as a system of social relations between them. The empirical diversity of occupations is considered by economic statistics, labor economics, industry economic sciences, demography, etc. The territorial, including international, division of labor is described economic geography. To determine the correlation of various production functions from the point of view of their material result, K. Marx preferred to use the term "distribution of labor".

In a narrow sense division of labor is the social division of labor human activity in its social essence, which, in contrast to specialization, is a historically transient social relation. The specialization of labor is the division of the types of labor according to the object, which directly expresses the progress of the productive forces and contributes to it. The diversity of such species corresponds to the degree of development of nature by man and grows along with his development. However, in class formations, specialization is not carried out as a specialization of integral activities, since it is itself influenced by social division labor. The latter divides human activity into such partial functions and operations, each of which in itself no longer has the nature of activity and does not act as a way for a person to reproduce his social relations, his culture, his spiritual wealth and himself as a person. These partial functions lack their own meaning and logic; their necessity appears only as requirements imposed on them from the outside by the system of division of labor. Such is the division of material and spiritual (mental and physical), executive and managerial labor, practical and ideological functions, etc. The expression of the social division of labor is the allocation as separate spheres material production, sciences, arts, etc., as well as the dismemberment of them. The division of labor historically inevitably grows to a class division.

Due to the fact that the members of society began to specialize in the production of certain goods, professions- individual activities associated with the production of a good.

But the division of labor does not at all mean that in our imaginary society one person will be engaged in one kind of production. It may turn out that several people will have to engage in a particular type of production, or so that one person will be engaged in the production of several goods.

Why? It's all about the ratio of the size of the population's need for a particular benefit and the productivity of a particular profession. If one fisherman can catch in a day just enough fish for all members of the society, then there will be just one fisherman on this farm. But if one hunter from the mentioned tribe cannot shoot quails for everyone and his work will not be enough to satisfy the needs of all members of the economy in quails, then several people will go hunting at once. Or, for example, if one potter can produce so many pots that society cannot consume, then he will have extra time that he can use to produce some other good, such as spoons or plates.

Thus, the degree of "division" of labor depends on the size of society. For a certain population size (that is, for a certain composition and size of needs), there is its own optimal structure occupations in which the product produced by different manufacturers, will be just enough for all members, and all products will be produced at the lowest possible cost. With an increase in the population, this optimal structure of occupations will change, the number of producers of those goods that have already been produced by an individual will increase, and those types of production that were previously entrusted to one person will be entrusted to different people.

In the history of the economy, the process of division of labor went through several stages, differing in the degree of specialization of individual members of society in the production of a particular good.

The division of labor is usually divided into several types, depending on the characteristics by which it is carried out.

Natural division of labor: the process of separating the types of labor activity according to gender and age.

Technical division of labor: determined by the nature of the means of production used, primarily machinery and technology.

Social division of labor: the natural and technical division of labor, taken in their interaction and in unity with economic factors, under the influence of which there is an isolation, differentiation of various types of labor activity.

In addition, the social division of labor includes 2 more subspecies: sectoral and territorial. Sectoral division of labor is predetermined by the conditions of production, the nature of the raw materials used, technology, equipment and the product being manufactured. Territorial division of labor- this is the spatial distribution of various types of labor activity. Its development is predetermined both by differences in natural and climatic conditions and by economic factors.

Under geographical division of labor we understand the spatial form of the social division of labor. Necessary condition geographical division of labor is different countries(or districts) worked for each other, so that the result of labor would be transported from one place to another, so that there would be a gap between the place of production and the place of consumption.

In the conditions of a commodity society, the geographical division of labor necessarily implies the transfer of products from economy to economy, i.e. exchange, trade, but under these conditions, exchange is only a sign for "recognizing" the presence of a geographical division of labor, but not its "essence".

There are 3 forms of social division of labor:

The general division of labor is characterized by the isolation large births(areas) of activity that differ from each other by the shaping of the product.

The private division of labor is the process of separating individual industries within the framework of large branches of production.

The individual division of labor characterizes the isolation of the production of individual components of finished products, as well as the allocation of individual technological operations.

Differentiation consists in the process of separating individual industries, due to the specifics of the means of production, technology and labor used.

Specialization is based on differentiation, but it develops on the basis of focusing efforts on a narrow range of manufactured products.

Universalization is the opposite of specialization. It is based on the release and implementation a wide range goods and services.

Diversification is the expansion of the range of products.

The first and main statement put forward by A. Smith, which determines the greatest progress in the development of the productive power of labor and a significant share of the art, skill and ingenuity with which it (progress) is directed and applied, is a consequence of the division of labor. The division of labor is the most important and unacceptable condition for the progress in the development of productive forces, the development of the economy of any state, any society. A. Smith leads the simplest example the actions of the division of labor in small and large enterprises (manufactory in contemporary society) - the elementary production of pins. A worker who is not trained in this industry and who does not know how to handle the machines used in it (the impetus for the invention of machines was given precisely by the division of labor) can hardly make one pin a day. With the organization that exists in such production, it is necessary to subdivide the profession into a number of specialties, each of which is a separate occupation. One worker pulls the wire, the other straightens it, the third cuts it, the fourth sharpens the end, the fifth grinds it to fit the head, the manufacture of which requires two or three more independent operations, in addition, its nozzle, polishing the pin itself, packaging finished products. Thus, labor in the production of pins is divided into a multi-stage series of operations, and, depending on the organization of production and the size of the enterprise, they can be performed individually (one worker - one operation), or combined into 2 - 3 (one worker - 2 - 3 operations). ). Using this simplest example, A. Smith affirms the undoubted priority of such a division of labor over the labor of a lone worker. 10 workers worked out 48,000 pins a day, while one is capable of 20 pieces at a high voltage. The division of labor in any trade, no matter how much it is introduced, causes an increase in the productivity of labor. Further development (up to the present day) of production in any sector of the economy was the clearest confirmation of the "discovery" of A. Smith.

The basis of economic development is the creation of nature itself - the division of functions between people, based on age, sex, physical, physiological and other characteristics. The mechanism of economic cooperation assumes that some group or individual focuses on the performance of a strictly defined type of work, while others are engaged in other types of activities.

There are several definitions of the division of labor. Here are just a few of them.

The division of labor is a historical process of isolation, consolidation, modification of certain types of activity, which takes place in social forms of differentiation and implementation of various types of labor activity. The division of labor in society is constantly changing, and the very system of various types of labor activity is becoming more and more complex, since the labor process itself is becoming more complex and deepening.

The division of labor is the principle of organizing production in the economy, according to which an individual is engaged in the production of a separate good. Thanks to the operation of this principle, with a limited amount of resources, people can get much more benefits than if everyone would provide himself with everything he needs.

There is also a distinction between the division of labor in a broad and narrow sense.

In a broad sense, the division of labor is a system of different in their characteristics and simultaneously interacting with each other types of labor, production functions, occupations in general or their combinations, as well as a system of social relations between them.

In a narrow sense, the division of labor is the division of labor as a human activity in its social essence, which, in contrast to specialization, is a historically transient social relationship. The specialization of labor is the division of the types of labor according to the object, which directly expresses the progress of the productive forces and contributes to it. The division of labor historically inevitably grows to a class division.

Due to the fact that the members of society began to specialize in the production of certain goods, professions appeared in society - separate types of activities associated with the production of any good.

But the division of labor does not at all mean that in our imaginary society one person will be engaged in one kind of production. It may turn out that several people will have to engage in a particular type of production, or so that one person will be engaged in the production of several goods.

Why? It's all about the ratio of the size of the population's need for a particular benefit and the productivity of a particular profession. If one fisherman can catch in a day just enough fish for all members of the society, then there will be just one fisherman on this farm. But if one hunter from the mentioned tribe cannot shoot quails for everyone and his work will not be enough to satisfy the needs of all members of the economy in quails, then several people will go hunting at once.

Thus, the degree of "division" of labor depends on the size of society. For a certain population (that is, for a certain composition and size of needs), there is an optimal structure of occupations, in which the product produced by different producers will be just enough for all members, and all products will be produced at the lowest possible cost. With an increase in the population, this optimal structure of occupations will change: the number of producers of those goods that were already produced by an individual will increase, and those types of production that were previously entrusted to one person will be entrusted to different people.

In the history of the economy, the process of division of labor went through several stages, differing in the degree of specialization of individual members of society in the production of a particular good.

The division of labor is usually divided into several types, depending on the characteristics by which it is carried out.

The natural division of labor is the process of separating the types of labor activity according to gender and age.

This division of labor is called natural because its character stems from the very nature of man, from the division of functions that each of us has to perform due to our physical, intellectual and spiritual merits.

The technical division of labor is determined by the nature of the means of production used, primarily machinery and technology.

Consider an elementary example illustrating the development of this type of division of labor. When a person had a simple needle and thread for sewing, this tool imposed a certain system of labor organization and required a large number employed workers. When did the needle come to replace sewing machine, it took a different organization of labor of people engaged in this type of activity. As a result, they were forced to look for other areas of their work. Here is the replacement hand tool mechanism required changes in the existing system of division of labor.

Consequently, the emergence of new types of equipment, technologies, raw materials, materials and their use in the production process dictates a new division of labor.

The social division of labor is the natural and technical division of labor, taken in their relationship and in unity with economic factors, under the influence of which there is an isolation, differentiation of various types of labor activity.

The concept of social division of labor includes the natural and technical division of labor due to the fact that any kind of activity cannot be carried out outside a person and outside the material and technical means that people use in the production process. It is determined by the socio-economic conditions of production.

In addition, the social division of labor includes two more subspecies: sectoral and territorial. The sectoral division of labor is predetermined by the conditions of production, the nature of the raw materials used, technology, equipment and the product being manufactured. The territorial division of labor is the spatial distribution of various types of labor activity. Its development is predetermined both by differences in natural and climatic conditions and by economic factors.

By geographical division of labor we understand the spatial form of the social division of labor. A necessary condition for the geographical division of labor is that different countries (or regions) work for each other, that the result of labor is transported from one place to another, so that there is a gap between the place of production and the place of consumption.

Under the conditions of a commodity society, the geographical division of labor necessarily implies the transfer of products from economy to economy, i.e., exchange, trade, but under these conditions exchange is only a sign for "recognizing" the presence of a geographical division of labor, but not its "essence".

There are three forms of social division of labor:

1. The general division of labor is characterized by the separation of large types (spheres) of activity, which differ from each other in the form of the product.

2. Private division of labor is the process of separating individual industries within the framework of large-scale production lines.

3. A single division of labor characterizes the isolation of the production of individual components of finished products, as well as the allocation of individual technological operations.

The forms of manifestation of the social division of labor include differentiation, specialization, universalization and diversification.

Differentiation consists in the process of separating individual industries, due to the specifics of the means of production, technology and labor used. In other words, it is a process of dividing social production into more and more new types of activity. For example, before the commodity producer was engaged not only in the production of any goods, but also in their sale. Now he has focused all his attention on the production of goods, while their implementation is carried out by another, completely independent economic entity. Thus, a single economic activity differentiated into two of its varieties, each of which functionally already existed within this unity.

Specialization is based on differentiation, but it develops on the basis of focusing efforts on a narrow range of manufactured products. Specialization, as it were, consolidates and deepens the process of differentiation. In the example above, there was a separation of production from sales. Let us assume that the commodity producer produced different kinds furniture, but later decided to focus on the production of only bedroom sets. The commodity producer did not abandon the production of furniture, but reorganized production on the basis of replacing universal labor tools with specialized ones; work force is also selected for the benefit of experience and expertise in the specific area of ​​expertise. Of course, there are many conventions and transitional states, but it is still necessary to distinguish between these two concepts - differentiation and specialization.

Universalization is the opposite of specialization. It is based on the production and sale of a wide range of goods and services. An example is the production of all types and types of furniture and even the production of kitchen utensils. An analogue of such production in trade can serve as a department store.

Diversification is the expansion of the range of products. This is achieved in two ways. The first is market diversification. It is characterized by the expansion of the range of manufactured goods, which are already produced by other enterprises. The second way is production diversification, which is directly related to scientific and technological progress, with the emergence of qualitatively new goods and technologies.

Within the framework of industrial diversification, one should distinguish between technological, detailed and product diversification.

Plan

1. Division of labor: types, types and forms

2. Commodity production

3. Barter and commodity circulation

1. Division of labor - this is a historical process of isolation, consolidation, modification of certain types of activity, which takes place in social forms of differentiation and implementation of various types of labor activity.

Types of division of labor:

1. natural;

2. technical;

3. public.

Natural division of labor- there is a segregation of labor by sex and age. This division of labor is called natural because its character flows from the very nature of man, from the delimitation of the functions that each of us has to perform due to our physical, intellectual and spiritual merits.

Technical division of labor- this is such a differentiation of the labor activity of people, which is predetermined by the very nature of the means of production used, primarily technically and technologically.

For example, when the sewing machine replaced the needle, a different organization of labor was required, as a result of which a significant mass of people engaged in this type of activity was released. As a result, they were forced to look for other areas of application of their labor. Here, the very replacement of a hand tool by a mechanism required changes in the existing system of division of labor.

The social division of labor represents the natural and technical division of labor, taken in their interaction and in unity with economic factors (costs, prices, profits, method, supply, taxes, etc.), under the influence of which the separation, differentiation of various types of labor activity takes place. This type division of labor is predetermined by the socio-economic conditions of production. For example, a farmer, having certain land plots engaged in both crop production and animal husbandry. However, economic calculations they suggest that if some of them specialize mainly in the cultivation and preparation of feed, while others are engaged only in fattening animals, then production costs will be significantly reduced for both.

Sectoral division of labor- is determined by the conditions of production, the nature of the raw materials used, technology, equipment and the product being manufactured.

Territorial division of labor- characterized by the spatial distribution of various types of labor activity.

Varieties of the territorial division of labor are district, regional and international division of labor. Neither sectoral nor territorial division of labor can exist outside of each other.

Types of division of labor:

1. general;

2. private;

3. singular.

General division of labor- characterized by the isolation of large genera (spheres) of activity, which differ from each other in the shaping of the product.

It includes the separation of animal husbandry from agriculture, handicrafts from agriculture, and the separation of trade from industry.

Private division of labor- this is the process of isolation of individual industries within the framework of large types of production.

The private division of labor includes both individual industries and sub-sectors and individual industries. For example, within the framework of industry, such industries as mechanical engineering, metallurgy, and mining can be named, which in turn include a number of sub-sectors.

Single division of labor- characterizes the isolation of the production of individual components of finished products, as well as the allocation of individual technological operations.

The unit division of labor includes the detailed, node-by-node and operational division of labor. This division of labor, as a rule, takes place within individual enterprises.

Forms of division of labor:

1. differentiation;

2. specialization;

3. universalization;

4. diversification.

Differentiation consists in the process of isolation, "branching" of individual industries, due to the specifics of the means of production used, technology, and there. In other words, it is the process of dismembering social production into all new types of activity.

For example, before the commodity producer was engaged not only in the production of any goods, but also in their sale. Now he has focused all his attention on the production of goods, while their implementation is carried out by another, completely independent economic entity.

Specialization It is based on differentiation, but it develops already on the basis of focusing efforts on a narrow range of manufactured products.

For example, a commodity producer produced various types of furniture, but later decided to concentrate on the production of only bedroom sets, the manufacturer did not abandon the production of furniture, but reorganizes production based on the replacement of universal tools with specialized ones.

Universalization is the opposite of specialization. It is based on the production or sale of a wide range of goods and services.

An example is the production of all types and types of furniture and even the production of kitchen utensils, cutlery at one enterprise.

Diversification- under this form of division of labor should be understood the expansion of the range of products.

This is achieved in two ways:

1st - market diversification - it is characterized by the expansion of the range of manufactured goods, which are already produced by other enterprises.

2nd way - production diversification, which is directly related to scientific and technological progress, with the advent of qualitatively new goods and technologies. Within the framework of industrial diversification, one should distinguish between: technological, detailed and product diversification.