Workforce
'wɜːrkfɔːrs
Definitions
The group of people who work for a company or in a particular industry.
'wɜːrkfɔːrs
The total number of people employed or available for employment.
The company is planning to expand its workforce to meet growing demand.
💡 Simply: Imagine a team of people working together at a company. The whole group is called the workforce! It's like a whole group of helpers.
👶 For kids: The workforce is all the grown-ups who have jobs.
More Examples
A skilled workforce is essential for economic growth.
The workforce is highly diverse and represents various backgrounds.
How It's Used
"Companies strive to optimize their workforce for maximum productivity."
"Unemployment rates are often used to assess the health of a workforce."
"The HR department manages all aspects of the workforce."
Idioms & expressions
The workforce of tomorrow
Referring to the future generation of workers and their skills.
"Investing in education today will help build the workforce of tomorrow."
Retrench the workforce
To reduce the number of employees, usually as a cost-cutting measure.
"Due to economic downturn, the company had to retrench its workforce"
From 'work' + 'force'. The term emerged in the late 19th century, evolving from the concept of a collective of individuals engaged in labor or employment.
The word 'workforce' gained prominence with the rise of industrialization and organized labor movements in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Memory tip
Think of the force of people, the work-force, getting things done.
Word Origin
"work (activity) + force (group, power)"