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# Scarcity of Hands

## Definition

A condition in specific localities where the supply of available workers falls short of demand, causing wages to rise above their normal level as employers compete for limited labour resources.

## Source Chapter

Book I, Chapter 10

## Context

Smith explains that scarcity of hands in one parish cannot be relieved by the superabundance of workers in another when settlement laws obstruct labour mobility. This creates artificial wage disparities between regions that would not exist under free movement of labour, demonstrating how policy can prevent natural market adjustments.

## Economic Domain

Distribution

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