Meaning & use
labor market
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Meanings
nouncountable
The supply of and demand for workers in a country or area, seen as a system where people look for jobs and employers look for staff.
Grammar: Usually used in the singular with 'the', but can be plural for different regions.
Patterns
- the labor market
- in the labor market
- enter the labor market
The labor market is tight, so employers are offering higher wages.
Many graduates enter the labor market with little practical experience.
Government policies can affect the labor market in both positive and negative ways.
nouncountable
The group of people who are available for work, considered as a whole.
Grammar: Often used with adjectives like 'local', 'national', or 'global' to specify the area.
Patterns
- local labor market
- national labor market
- global labor market
Companies are competing for talent in a global labor market.
The local labor market has been slow to recover after the recession.
Word forms
| plural | labor markets |
|---|
Common combinations
- tight labor market
- In a tight labor market, workers can demand better benefits.
- labor market conditions
- Labor market conditions have improved since last year.
- labor market participation
- Labor market participation among women has risen steadily.
- labor market flexibility
- Some economists argue for greater labor market flexibility.
Synonyms and how they differ
- job market
- More informal and often used in everyday speech; 'labor market' is more technical and common in economics.
- employment market
- Similar but less common; focuses on the availability of jobs rather than the whole system of supply and demand.
Word family
- labor force noun
- The total number of people who are working or looking for work.
- labor demand noun
- The number of workers that employers want to hire at a given wage.
- labor supply noun
- The number of workers who are willing to work at a given wage.
Commonly confused: labor market or labour market?
labor market vs labour market
British spelling of the same term; use 'labour' in UK English and 'labor' in US English.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'labor market' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The labor market is a system, not a physical place or a job, so 'The labor market is very competitive' is correct. Option An is awkward because you look for a job in the job market, not 'in the labor market'; option C wrongly treats it as a person; option D wrongly treats it as a building.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “labor market”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.