slave labor

noun

1. persons, especially a large group, performing labor under duress or threats, as prisoners in a concentration camp; a labor force of slaves or slavelike prisoners.

2. labor done by such a labor force.

3. any coerced or poorly remunerated work.

   Data entry at that salary is slave labor.

Other Word Forms

• slave-labor adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of slave labor¹

First recorded in 1810–20

Example Sentences

Tim Dillon was scheduled to perform, but was later dropped by the Riyadh festival, he said, because of jokes he made about Saudi Arabia’s alleged use of slave labor.

From Los Angeles Times

His son Alfried and 11 other corporate directors faced charges in a later trial for participating in “the murder, extermination, enslavement, deportation, imprisonment, torture, and use for slave labor of civilians.”

From Salon

“It’s not down to paying Canadians less or slave labor or having different governmental incentives,” said Johnston.

From Slate

Not to diminish the dangers of privatization within the criminal legal system, but it is important to highlight the distinction between privately run, for-profit facilities exploiting slave labor for profit, and the other 87 percent of prisons that are owned/operated by states.

From Slate

In 2015, The Associated Press revealed the wide use of slave labor in the Thai shrimp industry.

From Seattle Times