labor-intensive
adjective
la·bor-in·ten·sive
ˈlā-bər-in-ˌten(t)-siv 
: having high labor costs per unit of output
especially
: requiring greater expenditure on labor than in capital
Examples of labor-intensive in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
These wage differentials suggest China is gradually losing its competitive advantage in industries that rely on labor-intensive processes, such as household items or sporting goods.
—
Journal Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2024
For instance, Sarkissian ascribes Singapore’s success to its shift to research and development after 1986, culminating in the 1991 strategic plan that moved Singapore out of labor-intensive manufacturing to an economy focused on knowledge.
—Shivshankar Menon, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024
The pizzas are served as 12-inch rounds or squares, though the latter option was briefly suspended so the team could figure out how to streamline the labor-intensive process by baking squares at the same temperature as the rounds.
—Sonia Rao, Washington Post, 16 Apr. 2024
Shrinking rural populations and climate change were driving Japan’s farmers to abandon their labor-intensive plots.
—Alex Travelli Uma Bista, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2024
On top of that is the labor-intensive nature of having an account where every transaction is scrutinized.
—Alissa Jubelirer, Rolling Stone, 15 Apr. 2024
Just be more efficient But whether this finding applies to more labor-intensive jobs is doubtful.
—Allison Schrager, The Mercury News, 13 Apr. 2024
Fishing was a labor-intensive process of weaving baskets from reeds and laying them in the water to trap fish in the current.
—Alex Postman, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Apr. 2024
Finding optimal circuit layout and routing in large scale semiconductor designs is both labor-intensive and complex, often leaving both performance, power efficiency and silicon cost on the table.
—Dave Altavilla, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
Journal Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2024
For instance, Sarkissian ascribes Singapore’s success to its shift to research and development after 1986, culminating in the 1991 strategic plan that moved Singapore out of labor-intensive manufacturing to an economy focused on knowledge.
—Shivshankar Menon, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024
The pizzas are served as 12-inch rounds or squares, though the latter option was briefly suspended so the team could figure out how to streamline the labor-intensive process by baking squares at the same temperature as the rounds.
—Sonia Rao, Washington Post, 16 Apr. 2024
Shrinking rural populations and climate change were driving Japan’s farmers to abandon their labor-intensive plots.
—Alex Travelli Uma Bista, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2024
On top of that is the labor-intensive nature of having an account where every transaction is scrutinized.
—Alissa Jubelirer, Rolling Stone, 15 Apr. 2024
Just be more efficient But whether this finding applies to more labor-intensive jobs is doubtful.
—Allison Schrager, The Mercury News, 13 Apr. 2024
Fishing was a labor-intensive process of weaving baskets from reeds and laying them in the water to trap fish in the current.
—Alex Postman, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Apr. 2024
Finding optimal circuit layout and routing in large scale semiconductor designs is both labor-intensive and complex, often leaving both performance, power efficiency and silicon cost on the table.
—Dave Altavilla, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'labor-intensive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Labor-intensive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/labor-intensive. Accessed 5 May. 2024.
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