human capital

noun

: the skills, knowledge, and qualifications of a person, group, or workforce considered as economic assets

Nothing is more important to a company, nation, or individual than intelligence. It is the fundamental key to problem-solving and wealth creation, and underpins the human capital that drives every company and nation forward.

—Peter H. Diamandis

In fact, the evidence suggests that public investments in human capital, including higher education, yield long-term economic rates of return that far exceed most standard investments in technology or capital.

—Edward L. Glaeser

All of this coincided with the emergence in academe of the idea of "human capital": the notion that the more skilled the work force, the more productive it tends to be.

—Denis P. Doyle et al.

Examples of human capital in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This means investing not just in AI technologies but in the continuous development of human capital. —Sadagopan S, Forbes, 12 Sep. 2024

The New York firm receives about 7,000 applications each year for its campus positions, but fewer than 1% chance receive an offer, according to Grace Koo, a managing director and head of talent acquisition on KKR’s human capital team. —Luisa Beltran, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2024

After all, while people in poverty often create survival businesses that generate small profits, venture creation represents a critical vehicle for human capital development. —Michael H. Morris, The Conversation, 3 Sep. 2024

The immigrant tradition in the United States has also paid dividends in building the country’s human capital base. —G. John Ikenberry, Foreign Affairs, 1 Nov. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1799, in the meaning defined above