Florida citrus growers say that the recent crackdown on illegal immigration is increasing the market wage rates necessary to get their oranges picked. Some are turning to $100,000 to $300,000 mechanical harvesters known as "trunk, shake, and catch" pickers, which vigorously shake oranges from the trees.
If widely adopted, what will be the effect on the demand for human orange pickers? What does that imply about the relative strengths of the substitution and output effects?

Florida citrus growers say that the recent crackdown on illegal immigration is increasing the market wage rates necessary to get their oranges picked. Some are turning to $100,000 to $300,000 mechanical harvesting machines known as “trunk, shake, and catch” pickers, which vigorously shake oranges from the trees. If widely adopted, how will this substitution affect the demand for human orange pickers? What does that imply about the relative strengths of the substitution and output effects? LO2

The effect of the adoption of the mechanical pickers will be to decrease the demand for human pickers. If this occurs, the substitution effect will have been greater than the output effect.

Explanation: