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.
At the same time, demand for skilled labor remains high.
From MarketWatch • Jan. 7, 2026
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
But we are limited, as I have said, largely by the lack of skilled labor.
From Proceedings of the Second National Conservation Congress at Saint Paul, September 5-8, 1910 by United States. National Conservation Congress
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.
