labour-intensive
Requires many hands
Labour-intensive describes work or production requiring a large amount of human effort relative to machinery or capital: Harvesting strawberries remains labour-intensive.
The term often appears in economic discussions contrasting industries—agriculture and healthcare are labour-intensive, while manufacturing has become increasingly capital-intensive.
British spelling; Americans write labor-intensive.
Created manually, not mechanically
- artisanalMade by skilled craftspeople
- craftsmanshipSkill in making objects
- assemblyConstructing from components
- pieceworkPay per unit produced
sweatshop · garment · textile · manual · factory · workshop · production · sewing
Required payment amount
- wagesPayment for work
- workforceAll available workers
- automationSelf-operating system design
- mechanizationConverting to machine operation
productivity · efficiency · outsourcing · overhead · margins · competitive advantage · unit cost · scalability
Gathering mature crops
- plantingPlacing seeds in earth
- pickingAct of selecting
- weedingExtracting undesired vegetation
- pruningCutting vegetation for health
subsistence · smallholding · sharecropping · paddy · terracing · transplanting · threshing · gleaning
Medical caretaking profession
- caregivingAttending to dependents
- bedsideNear the mattress
- patient careMedical attention for sick
- eldercareSupport for the aged
hospice · rehabilitation · physiotherapy · home health · hands-on · attentive · round-the-clock · personal care
Constructing with mortared blocks
- scaffoldingTemporary exterior work platform
- masonryBuilding with mortared blocks
- earthworksConstructed soil fortifications
- excavationAct of unearthing
hauling · demolition · formwork · plastering · tiling · roofing · heavy lifting · groundwork
handmade
Created manually, not mechanically
- artisanalMade by skilled craftspeople
- craftsmanshipSkill in making objects
- assemblyConstructing from components
piecework · sweatshop · garment · textile · manual · factory · workshop · production · sewing · weaving
cost
Required payment amount
- wagesPayment for work
- workforceAll available workers
- automationSelf-operating system design
mechanization · productivity · efficiency · outsourcing · overhead · margins · competitive advantage · unit cost · scalability · profitability
harvesting
Gathering mature crops
pruning · subsistence · smallholding · sharecropping · paddy · terracing · transplanting · threshing · gleaning · irrigation
nursing
Medical caretaking profession
- caregivingAttending to dependents
- bedsideNear the mattress
- patient careMedical attention for sick
eldercare · hospice · rehabilitation · physiotherapy · home health · hands-on · attentive · round-the-clock · personal care · assisted living
bricklaying
Constructing with mortared blocks
- scaffoldingTemporary exterior work platform
- masonryBuilding with mortared blocks
- earthworksConstructed soil fortifications
excavation · hauling · demolition · formwork · plastering · tiling · roofing · heavy lifting · groundwork · stonework
labour-intensivecapital-intensive
Requiring substantial fixed investment
automated · mechanized · computerized · robotized · industrialized
labour-intensiveautomated
Operating without human control
mechanized · robotized · computerized · self-operating · hands-free
labour-intensiveeffortless
Requiring no strain
streamlined · efficient · hands-off · push-button · low-maintenance
labour, labor, laboured, labored, labouring, laboring, laborious, laboriously, labourer