labor force
Americannoun
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labor forces
plural
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(in the United States) the body of people who are at least 16 years old and are either employed or available for employment.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
The companies themselves relentlessly pitch A.I. integration to the moneymen at the top of service corporations, explaining that their bots will be able to cut out or reduce a pesky and expensive labor force.
From Salon ● Sep. 12, 2026
“A meaningful decline in payrolls or a shrinking labor force would be early signs that labor market stagnation is giving way to broader weakness,” the head of market and economic research said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
Employers in the country cut a net 41,700 jobs in August, though with the participation rate dipping slightly and the labor force contracting, the unemployment rate remained at 6.4%, Statistics Canada said Friday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
The jobless rate has fallen to 4.1% from 4.4% this year largely because more than 1 million people have left the labor force.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026
Before 1919 was over, in an unprecedented demonstration of labor unrest, there would be thirty-six hundred work stoppages involving four million workers or one-fifth of the nation’s labor force.
From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler
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.
