labor market

American  

noun

1. the available supply of labor considered with reference to the demand for it.

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labor market Cultural  

1. An area of economic exchange in which workers seek jobs and employers seek workers. A “tight” labor market has more jobs than workers. In a “slack” labor market, the reverse is true.

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Etymology

Origin of labor market

First recorded in 1825–35

Example Sentences

Those governors thought a weakening labor market merited a cut.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 7, 2026

And finally, they examine why Spain’s unemployment rate has dropped significantly and what that tells us about the relationship between immigration and the labor market.

From Slate • Jun. 6, 2026

Friday’s May jobs report showed the labor market has now notched its best three-month stretch in more than two years.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 6, 2026

Nevertheless, investors were worried that a labor market on the mend would make it more difficult for the Federal Reserve to justify leaving interest rates on hold.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 5, 2026

Yet wages for people near the bottom of the labor market remain fairly flat, even “stagnant.”

From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich