division of labor

American  

[dih-vizh-uhn uhv ley-ber] / dɪˈvɪʒ ən əv ˈleɪ bər /

noun

Economics.

1. a production process in which a worker or group of workers is assigned a specialized task in order to increase efficiency.

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division of labor Cultural  

1. Dividing a job into many specialized parts, with a single worker or a few workers assigned to each part. Division of labor is important to mass production.

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Etymology

Origin of division of labor

First recorded in 1770–80

Example Sentences

Reduced armor may go hand in hand with other helpful social traits, including cooperative foraging, shared nest defense, and division of labor, all of which tend to become more pronounced as colonies grow.

From Science Daily

This mirrors the division of labor in the human body, where reproductive cells generate offspring and other cells perform daily biological tasks.

From Science Daily

A division of labor seems to be taking place.

From The Wall Street Journal

Expect a rebalanced division of labor: The technical layer gets faster and cheaper; the human layer shifts toward supervision, coordination, complex judgment, relationship work and exception handling.

From The Wall Street Journal

"Some commit to rebuilding, while others focus on defense. That division of labor is essential. And by uncovering the switch that controls it, we can start thinking about how to restore balance when it breaks down in disease."

From Science Daily