labor-intensive activity

[ˈleɪ.bɚ ɪnˈten.sɪv ækˈtɪv.ə.ti]
noun phrasepl: labor-intensive activities
atividade intensiva em mão de obra
1. An economic activity or process that requires a large amount of human labor relative to capital investment
Agriculture is a labor-intensive activity that requires many workers during harvest season.
A agricultura é uma atividade intensiva em mão de obra que requer muitos trabalhadores durante a colheita.
2. Work or business operations where labor costs represent a significant proportion of total production costs
The textile industry is a labor-intensive activity with high employment numbers.
A indústria têxtil é uma atividade intensiva em mão de obra com alto número de empregos.
In Brazil, labor-intensive activities remain economically significant due to the large workforce and competitive labor costs in agriculture, construction, and manufacturing sectors. The term is frequently used in economic policy discussions and development contexts. In the USA, there is ongoing debate about labor-intensive activities in relation to automation, wages, and immigration policy.
Synonyms / Sinônimos
labor-intensive workmanpower-intensive activityhuman-resource-intensive processlabor-heavy operation
Antonyms / Antônimos
capital-intensive activityautomated processtechnology-intensive activitymechanized operation

Regional Variations

General Brazilian Portuguese
atividade intensiva em mão de obra
Standard term used across Brazil
São Paulo
trabalho intensivo em mão de obra
Often used in business and industrial contexts
Rio de Janeiro
atividade com grande uso de trabalho
More colloquial variation
Portugal
atividade intensiva em mão de obra
Same as Brazilian Portuguese; formal economic terminology

Related Words

labor costworkforcemanual laborproduction efficiencyhuman resourceswage expense

Related Idioms & Phrases

sweat equity (work-based rather than financial investment)
elbow grease (hard physical labor)
back-breaking work
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