labour forcelabor forcen.

Brit.

/ˈleɪbə fɔːs/, U.S.

/ˈleɪbər ˌfɔrs/

Forms: see labour n. and force n.¹

Origin: Formed within English, by compounding. Etymons: labour n., force n.¹

Etymology: < labour n. + force n.¹ With sense 1 compare workforce n.

1. Workers considered collectively; (Economics) all the members of the population who are either in employment or seeking work; the total possible workforce. Also: a particular body of workers or employees. Cf. workforce n.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > worker > [noun] > in relation to employer or capitalist > collectively

employed1600

human capital1799

working force1826

labour1830

labour force1844

workforce1910

1844 Northern Star & Leeds Gen. Advertiser 25 May The whole Labour-force must be directed..to the return of those candidates who will pledge themselves,—not to the modification of the damnable Bill..but to its total repeal.

1896 Polit. Sci. Q. 11 472 A reduction in wages may cause a strike, disorganization of his labor force, loss of business connections and inability to take advantage of any turn in the tide.

1911 F. T. Carlton Hist. & Probl. Organized Labor xvi. 431 In times of depression there are unemployed land and capital as well as an unemployed labor force.

1969 Times 12 Feb. 9/2 They have run a computer model of an underdeveloped country's economy which relates the growth of g.n.p. to the labour force, capital stock and other factors.

1991 M. Tully No Full Stops in India (1992) viii. 262 Of course we will have to rationalize our labour force, and we have already started doing so.

2003 D. L. Scott Wall St. Words (ed. 3) 206 Legacy cost is especially burdensome for mature companies with declining markets and a shrinking labor force.

2. The power or force of labour; labour regarded as a quantifiable resource or asset. Now rare.

ΚΠ

1885 J. L. Joynes tr. K. Marx Wage-labour & Capital 21 Capital necessarily pre-supposes the existence of a class which possesses nothing but labour-force [Ger. Arbeitsfähigkeit].

1909 B. Webb et al. Socialism & National Minimum i. 38 The parasitic trades, where the employers are able to exact from their workers more labour-force than they replace.

1982 J. Vallee Network Revol. iv. 75 Greater numbers of people, in turn, mean more intellectual power, more labor force available, greater creativity.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, November 2010; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

单词	labour force
释义	labour forcelabor forcen. Brit. /ˈleɪbə fɔːs/, U.S. /ˈleɪbər ˌfɔrs/ Forms: see labour n. and force n.¹ Origin: Formed within English, by compounding. Etymons: labour n., force n.¹ Etymology: < labour n. + force n.¹ With sense 1 compare workforce n. 1. Workers considered collectively; (Economics) all the members of the population who are either in employment or seeking work; the total possible workforce. Also: a particular body of workers or employees. Cf. workforce n. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > worker > [noun] > in relation to employer or capitalist > collectively employed1600 human capital1799 working force1826 labour1830 labour force1844 workforce1910 1844 Northern Star & Leeds Gen. Advertiser 25 May The whole Labour-force must be directed..to the return of those candidates who will pledge themselves,—not to the modification of the damnable Bill..but to its total repeal. 1896 Polit. Sci. Q. 11 472 A reduction in wages may cause a strike, disorganization of his labor force, loss of business connections and inability to take advantage of any turn in the tide. 1911 F. T. Carlton Hist. & Probl. Organized Labor xvi. 431 In times of depression there are unemployed land and capital as well as an unemployed labor force. 1969 Times 12 Feb. 9/2 They have run a computer model of an underdeveloped country's economy which relates the growth of g.n.p. to the labour force, capital stock and other factors. 1991 M. Tully No Full Stops in India (1992) viii. 262 Of course we will have to rationalize our labour force, and we have already started doing so. 2003 D. L. Scott Wall St. Words (ed. 3) 206 Legacy cost is especially burdensome for mature companies with declining markets and a shrinking labor force. 2. The power or force of labour; labour regarded as a quantifiable resource or asset. Now rare. ΚΠ 1885 J. L. Joynes tr. K. Marx Wage-labour & Capital 21 Capital necessarily pre-supposes the existence of a class which possesses nothing but labour-force [Ger. Arbeitsfähigkeit]. 1909 B. Webb et al. Socialism & National Minimum i. 38 The parasitic trades, where the employers are able to exact from their workers more labour-force than they replace. 1982 J. Vallee Network Revol. iv. 75 Greater numbers of people, in turn, mean more intellectual power, more labor force available, greater creativity. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, November 2010; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < n.1844
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