Some people claim that working hours for labours in factories are too long.
Here an Indonesian student is trying to find a synonym for ‘worker‘. Unfortunately the hierarchy of ‘work‘ is labelled differently in English.
In English a ‘labourer‘ (‘labour‘ + ‘er‘) does work that distinguish him or her from other kinds of worker:
- Labourers are usually unskilled.
- Labourers often have to use physical strength because their work requires them to lift and carry things.
- The work of labourers is generally outdoor work.
- Labouring is often dirty work.
- Labouring is not very well paid in most countries.
Here are some pictures of ‘labourers‘.
If you want to use a synonym for ‘worker’ then try to consider:
- where the work takes place
- the level of skill involved
- the salary it attracts
These considerations will lead you to a more accurate label for the work you are talking or writing about. In IELTS a more accurate label is also likely to get you a higher score for Lexical Resource (vocabulary).
This dictionary entry offers a wide selection of labels for different kinds of work.
Other word forms and idioms
Labourer – the person (countable)
Labour – noun (uncountable, abstract meaning)
Labour – verb
Laborious – adjective (Sometimes skilled work can be ‘laborious’, especially if it requires physical effort or is repetitive).
Hard labour – A form of punishment used by tyrannical governments, often for political prisoners. If my work feels like hard labour, it’s very hard work!
In labour – Giving birth!
Labour over something – Work extra hard at a task.
