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Re:Massachusetts Bans Employers from Asking Applicants About... by bumbledraven on Tuesday August 02, 2016 @08:13PM (#12214460)
The labor theory of value has been refuted. In a market economy, prices (including the price of labor, i.e. salaries) are set by supply and demand.
Re:Massachusetts Bans Employers from Asking Applicants About... by eru on Tuesday August 02, 2016 @08:46PM (#12214650)
In the short term, yes. In the longer term competition and companies/people entering/leaving the market moves demand and supply closer to something that justified by costs of production and 'value' of product.

(Economists say demand and supply are elastic, I think.)

Re:Massachusetts Bans Employers from Asking Applicants About... by cmdrfred on Tuesday August 02, 2016 @08:28PM (#12214552)
I agree. Labor is just another input that a company requires in order to create its product. I would expect labor prices to be driven by similar if not the same market forces as goods. Excluding government interventions of course.
Re:Massachusetts Bans Employers from Asking Applicants About... by nandemo on Tuesday August 02, 2016 @10:23PM (#12215140)
Labor theory of value claims that the value of X depends only on the amount of labor required to produce X. This theory doesn't explain how gold is more valuable than iron, or how $UNICORN is more valuable then this other startup. So it's a bad theory.

matthewowen's argument is not assuming the labor theory of value is true. It's just pointing out that, other things being equal, if the demand for X increases then the demand for X-makers' labor increases too; hence X-makers' wages increase.

Re:Massachusetts Bans Employers from Asking Applicants About... by darksim905 on Tuesday August 02, 2016 @08:55PM (#12214701)
Which is bullshit, all the way around :)
Re:Massachusetts Bans Employers from Asking Applicants About... by matthewowen on Tuesday August 02, 2016 @08:25PM (#12214530)
And what drives demand for labor?