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

He doesn’t even know how the division of labor started.

From MarketWatch

Ask yourself which countries are likely to prevail: Those that afford their industries relatively free access to a global division of labor?

From The Wall Street Journal

The question is whether this division of labor—machines for volume, humans for discernment—is a fruitful partnership or a more troubling redefinition of what creative work looks like.

From The Wall Street Journal

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