Figure 1: Participation in agency nursing, % of total qualified nursing workforce, 2016 and 2023
| Category | 2016 (%) | 2023 (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Occasional agency shifts (under 10 hours/month) | 8.2 | 14.5 |
| Regular agency shifts (10-30 hours/month) | 4.1 | 9.8 |
| Full-time agency contracting (30+ hours/month) | 3.5 | 8.2 |
| Active on agency register | 15.8 | 32.5 |
Note: Agency nursing is defined as temporary nurse staffing provided via private healthcare recruitment agencies to public or private healthcare providers.
Figure 2: Median after-tax real hourly earnings of permanent NHS contract nurses and agency contract nurses, 2016 to 2023 (£/hour)
| Year | Permanent NHS Nurse, £/hour | Agency Contract Nurse, £/hour |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 21.50 | 24.50 |
| 2017 | 21.20 | 25.00 |
| 2018 | 20.80 | 26.50 |
| 2019 | 20.50 | 28.00 |
| 2020 | 20.20 | 30.00 |
| 2021 | 20.00 | 31.50 |
| 2022 | 19.80 | 33.00 |
| 2023 | 20.10 | 34.50 |
Note: Base year for real earnings is 2023.
Explain how the data in Extract A (Figure 2) show that the financial incentive for registered nurses to choose agency contracting rather than permanent NHS contract roles increased between 2016 and 2023.
64 exam-style questions on AQA A Level Economics 1.6 The labour market (A-level only), covering 1.6.1 The demand for labour, marginal productivity theory, 1.6.2 Influences upon the supply of labour to different markets, 1.6.3 The determination of relative wage rates and levels of employment in perfectly competitive labour markets, 1.6.4 The determination of relative wage rates and levels of employment in imperfectly competitive labour markets, 1.6.5 The Influence of trade unions in determining wages and levels of employment, 1.6.6 The National Minimum Wage, and 1.6.7 Discrimination in the labour market. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.