Meaning & use
low-skill
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a noun
Needing little training or special ability to do.
Grammar: Usually used before a noun: low-skill work, low-skill jobs. Not used after 'be'.
Patterns
- low-skill job
- low-skill work
- low-skill worker
Many low-skill jobs in the area pay only minimum wage.
The factory replaced low-skill tasks with machines.
He took a low-skill job while he studied at night.
adjectivebefore a noun
Having few or no skilled workers.
Grammar: Describes a group or place: a low-skill workforce, a low-skill industry.
Patterns
- low-skill workforce
- low-skill sector
The region has a low-skill workforce, so companies hesitate to invest.
The low-skill sector often has high staff turnover.
Word forms
| comparative | lower-skill |
|---|---|
| superlative | lowest-skill |
Common combinations
- low-skill jobs
- Automation has reduced the number of low-skill jobs.
- low-skill work
- She found low-skill work at a warehouse.
- low-skill workers
- Training programs aim to help low-skill workers move into better jobs.
- low-skill labor
- The industry relies on low-skill labor.
Synonyms and how they differ
- unskilled
- Similar, but 'unskilled' often describes a person who has no special training; 'low-skill' describes the job itself.
- entry-level
- Focuses on being suitable for beginners, not necessarily on needing few skills.
Opposites
Word family
- skill noun
- The ability to do something well.
- skilled adjective
- Having training or ability.
- skillfully adverb
- In a way that shows skill.
Commonly confused: low-skill or unskilled?
low-skill vs unskilled
'Unskilled' usually describes workers; 'low-skill' usually describes jobs. You can say 'low-skill jobs' but not 'low-skill workers' as often.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'low-skill' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Low-skill' is an adjective used before a noun like 'job'. Option A needs 'unskilled' or 'not skilled', C uses it as a noun, and D uses it as a verb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “low-skill”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.