unskilled labor

American  

noun

1. work that requires practically no training or experience for its adequate or competent performance.

2. the labor force employed for such work.

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Etymology

Origin of unskilled labor

First recorded in 1825–35

Example Sentences

It was like, "That person took my work. That person that I can point to is using these machines and child labor and unskilled labor to run them."

From Salon • Oct. 3, 2023

“Young, unskilled labor are trusted to perform safety-driven tasks, and it’s scary,” said Barbara Samuels, a former associate lighting supervisor who, as an intern, almost fell from a truss structure.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 25, 2021

Those doing jobs that only a few months ago would have led to rejection of their visa requests as those performing unskilled labor are now seen as essential.

From Scientific American • Apr. 9, 2020

The aim of the early factory owners and managers was to simplify the stages of the manufacturing process so that they could be executed by cheap, unskilled labor.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2020

In 1950, nearly three in five black women in Montgomery, Alabama’s capital city, worked as maids for white families, and almost three-quarters of employed black men mowed lawns and did other kinds of unskilled labor.

From "Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice" by Phillip Hoose