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labor pool

labor pool

4 3.7
A group of workers available for companies to hire
  • noun
  • /ˈleɪbər puːl/
  • US
translation icon : oferta laboral
  • A strong labor pool allows companies to find the right skills for their job openings.
  • a local labor pool
  • a large labor pool

It was this deep labour pool which truly held up Spartans society.

Examples

  • Millions did, and the problem is that the labor pool for designers is actually quite small.

    Blog text (6)
  • Suppose, too, the employer has no history of discrimination and indeed has a workforce that matches the local labor pool.

    Academic text (1997)
  • In some parts of the country, immigrants have been a major portion of the labor pool for these positions.

    Academic text (2001)
  • Either compete in the labor pool under existing guidelines and expected wages or stay home.

    Blog text (2)
  • Academic openings in physics research departments are filled from an international labor pool.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Because of their precarious economic circumstances and small labor pool, such a couple may be reluctant to innovate much.

    Academic text (2000)
  • The labor pool of instrument makers is fairly stable, and several small guitar factories have opened in Paracho.

    Academic text (2004)
  • Mexico's surplus labor pool will continue to restrain workers' wages.

    Academic text (1994)
  • A rapidly growing aging population, combined with a shrinking low-cost labor pool, is worrying.

    Blog text (19)
  • The search for a reliable labor pool prompted North Carolina tobacco interests to pursue a guaranteed labor supply through H-2A.

    Academic text (2004)

Synonyms

workforce
vslabor pool
249 2.4

All the people who work in a company, industry, or country

is the pool employers draw on when hiring including skilled or unskilled workers
manpower
vslabor pool
81 3.7

The number of people who can do work in a company or area

is about the available hiring supply rather than just headcount
labor force
vslabor pool
  • Specialized
41 2.2

All the people in a country who can and are available to work

focuses on the group employers may hire often specifying skill levels
labor resources
vslabor pool
  • US
1 3.3

Workers who are available to do jobs in a country or company

is the specific hiring source often noting skill levels and hireability

How Many

labor resources
  • US
1 3.3
labor pool
  • US
4 3.7

Surface Forms

labor pool singular
labour pool singular

Morphology

labor + pool

The meaning 'available supply of workers' is directly compositional from 'labor' (workers) and 'pool' (a collected supply or reservoir), so the phrase denotes a collection of workers available for hiring. This metaphorical use of 'pool' as a resource is common cross-linguistically and in everyday English, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can reliably infer the meaning.

Etymology

The term labor pool comes from a simple image: imagine a pool where many labor, meaning 'workers', are gathered in one place. So labor pool means the group of 'workers' a company can 'hire'.