labor force
Americannoun
-
(in the United States) the body of people who are at least 16 years old and are either employed or available for employment.
Etymology
Origin of labor force
First recorded in 1880–85
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.
In the longer run, the labor force could continue to shrink.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026
Economists estimate the U.S. needs to add just 50,000 jobs a month, if that, to absorb the new entrants into the labor force.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 2, 2026
Job creation and labor force growth have both slowed, even as the unemployment rate has remained low at 4.4%.
From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026
Whatever changes AI has in store for the labor force, it won’t change human nature.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026
They slipped in and out of the box of peeling gray, making no stir in the neighborhood, no sound in the labor force, and no wave in the mayor’s office.
From "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison
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.
