noun phrase · academic
labour-intensive industry
UK/ˈleɪbə ɪnˌtɛnsɪv ˈɪndəstri/US/ˈleɪbər ɪnˌtɛnsɪv ˈɪndəstri/LA·bour-IN·TEN·sive IN·dus·TRY
An industry that requires a large amount of human labour relative to capital or machinery.
Examples
“Textile manufacturing is traditionally a labour-intensive industry.”
“Many developing countries focus on labour-intensive industries to create employment.”
“Automation threatens some labour-intensive industries but may improve productivity.”
Band 8 sentence
“Policy makers should balance investment in technology with support for labour-intensive industries to protect employment.”
Collocations
- labour-intensive sectors
- labour-intensive production
Word family
Common mistakes
labour intensive industry→labour-intensive industry
labour-intensive industry→labour-intensive industries
Say it for a higher band
5labour sector→6manual industry→7+labour-intensive industry
Synonyms
people-intensive industry
Easily confused
capital-intensive industry
“Automobile manufacturing is often a capital-intensive industry due to expensive machinery.”
Related words
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In Work & Career
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