labor-intensive

[ ley-ber-in-ten-siv ]

adjective

1. requiring or using a large supply of labor, relative to capital.

labor-intensive

1. A term describing industries that require a great deal of labor relative to capital ( compare capital-intensive ). Examples of labor-intensive industries are forms of agriculture that cannot make use of machinery and service industries, such as restaurants.

Word History and Origins

Origin of labor-intensive¹

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

According to Fahs, the “labor intensive” assignment “gives men some insight into what women who shave go through.”

From The Daily Beast

He managed to put these onerous, labor-intensive veggies at the forefront of his restaurant—and found much success.

From The Daily Beast

Part of each day was devoted to “decks,” which were labor-intensive assignments.

From The Daily Beast

And textbooks are fairly labor intensive to produce, so the cost basis is pretty high.

From The Daily Beast

Restaurant food, and especially high-end restaurant food, remains an incredibly labor intensive business.

From The Daily Beast