labour force

noun

The collective group of people who are available for employment, whether currently employed or unemployed (though sometimes only those unemployed people who are seeking work are included).

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Meanings

nounlabour force (plural labour forces)

plural labour forces · alternative labor force

  1. UKThe collective group of people who are available for employment, whether currently employed or unemployed (though sometimes only those unemployed people who are seeking work are included).

    Of the total labour force now threatened with redundancy, of course, a proportion will be covered by natural wastage, so that the number eventually thrown out of railway work will be well below 19,000.

    1962 October, “Talking of Trains: B.R. works staff cut by a third”, in Modern Railways, page 221

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
workforce

Translations

Catalan mà d'obra
  • mà d'obrapeople available for employment
Chinese Mandarin 勞動力 /劳动力
  • 勞動力 /劳动力 (láodònglì)people available for employment
Finnish työvoima
  • työvoimapeople available for employment
French main-d'œuvre
  • main-d'œuvrepeople available for employment
German Arbeitskraft
  • Arbeitskraftpeople available for employment
Greek εργατικό δυναμικό
  • εργατικό δυναμικό (ergatikó dynamikó)people available for employment
Hungarian munkaerő
  • munkaerőpeople available for employment
Italian manodopera
  • manodoperapeople available for employment
Japanese 労働力, マンパワー
  • 労働力 (rōdōryoku)people available for employment
  • マンパワー (manpawā)people available for employment
Māori hunga mahi, taimahi
  • hunga mahipeople available for employment
  • taimahipeople available for employment
Polish siła robocza
  • siła roboczapeople available for employment
Portuguese mão de obra
  • mão de obrapeople available for employment
Romanian forță de muncă
  • forță de muncăpeople available for employment
Spanish mano de obra
  • mano de obrapeople available for employment
Swedish arbetskraft
  • arbetskraftpeople available for employment
Turkish iş gücü
  • iş gücüpeople available for employment
Ukrainian робо́ча си́ла
  • робо́ча си́ла (robóča sýla)people available for employment
Cite this entry
APA

labour force. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/labour%20force

MLA

“labour force.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/labour%20force. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “labour force,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/labour%20force.

Source: labour force on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.