casual labor
Short-term employment
Casual labor is work performed on an irregular, temporary, or as-needed basis rather than under ongoing employment.
The term covers day laborers, seasonal farmhands, and workers hired for short-term tasks without benefits or job security: The construction site relied on casual labor during peak season.
The arrangement suits both employers seeking flexibility and workers wanting freedom, though it often means unpredictable income and few protections.
- temporary workTime-limited employment arrangement
- freelanceSelf-employed project work
- work for hireCreation owned by commissioner
- gig economyWork based on temporary contracts
- part-timeLimited work schedule
on-call work · gig work · odd jobs · short-term · construction · subcontracting · street corner · hired hand · contract work · fly by night · day laborer · shape up · agriculture · under-the-table · off the books · cash in hand · no benefits · precarious
- side workside job, side jobs, side hustle, side gigs, side hustles
- contract workcontract work, contractors, subcontractors, freelancers, freelancing
- temp worktemp, temps, temp agency, temping, warehouse temp
- workforceworkers, employee, employees, employer, worker
- dock worklongshoreman, stevedore, docker, cargo handler, loading
casual laborpermanent employment
Ongoing work with no termination date
permanent position · full-time employment · lifetime employment · indentured labor · civil service