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

The new rules threaten the availability and deployment of human capital in the United States. —Hemant Bhargava, Twin Cities, 8 Oct. 2025

Extensive layoffs would shift the losses from a temporary delay to a more permanent loss of income and human capital, reducing aggregate demand and potentially increasing unemployment spillovers into the private sector. —John W. Diamond, The Conversation, 2 Oct. 2025

But exporting human capital isn’t nation-building. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2025

Its human capital platform enables companies to manage workforce and HR processes, while the financials platform supports streamlining financial operations such as accounts payable, procurement and accounting. —Kenneth Squire, CNBC, 20 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1799, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for human capital

• capitol
• noncapital