skilled labor
Americannoun
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labor that requires special training for its satisfactory performance.
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the workers employed in such labor.
Etymology
Origin of skilled labor
First recorded in 1770–80
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.
That’s as those companies face bottlenecks from lack of contractors, skilled labor, equipment and transmission to deliver power to compute, he said.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 29, 2025
Some experts are skeptical of startup efforts to solve what is more fundamentally a skilled labor shortage.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 10, 2025
And although skilled labor shortages persist in the U.S., pharmaceutical training demands are lower than those in high-tech sectors.
From Barron's • Oct. 8, 2025
If we reframe parenthood as a form of skilled labor instead of an innate instinct, we can find room for both men and women to excel as parents.
From Slate • Jun. 15, 2025
I don't know," said Dorothy, very honestly; "skilled labor is the only thing that counts nowadays, and I'm really not fitted for anything.
From The Dorrance Domain by Wells, Carolyn
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.
