unskilled labor
Americannoun
-
work that requires practically no training or experience for its adequate or competent performance.
-
the labor force employed for such work.
Etymology
Origin of unskilled labor
First recorded in 1825–35
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It was like, "That person took my work. That person that I can point to is using these machines and child labor and unskilled labor to run them."
From Salon • Oct. 3, 2023
I accompanied her team as an embedded journalist, earning my keep with unskilled labor, much of it involving a snow shovel.
From Scientific American • Oct. 18, 2022
“Young, unskilled labor are trusted to perform safety-driven tasks, and it’s scary,” said Barbara Samuels, a former associate lighting supervisor who, as an intern, almost fell from a truss structure.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 25, 2021
Furthermore, 44% of small businesses surveyed currently have job openings for skilled workers and 27% have openings for unskilled labor.
From Reuters • Sep. 2, 2021
But the skilled butchers were now a small part of a huge, mostly unskilled labor pool.
From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield
![]()
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.