Dictionary

workforce en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈwɝk.foɹs/ (General-American)
• [ˈwɚk.fo̞ɹs] (General-American)
• /ˈwɜːk.fɔːs/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈwɝk.fo(ː)ɹs/ rhotic, without the horse–hoarse merger
• /ˈwɜːk.foəs/ non-rhotic, without the horse–hoarse merger

Etymology

From work + force.

Meanings

1. All the workers employed by a specific organization or state, or on a specific project.
   • But much of the federal workforce is located outside the nation’s capital, and Trump’s offer was met with confusion and skepticism in many of those offices. 2025 February 1, Tami Luhby, Eric Bradner and Rene Marsh, “Federal employees confused, angered by Trump’s offer to quit”, in CNN:
   • The rail sector's ageing workforce (28% of workers are over 50 years old) means that about 15,000 people could retire from the industry by 2025. 2020 December 2, Stefanie Foster, “Network News: Success of major projects hinges on fixing skills crisis”, in Rail, page 8:
2. The total population of a country or region that is employed or employable.
   • “There is no question the US economy will get smaller as you deport a lot of the workforce,” Kent Smetters, professor of business economics and public policy at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, said in an interview. 2025 July 25, Matt Egan, “How Trump’s mass deportations could backfire on the American economy by shrinking paychecks”, in CNN Business:

Forms

Deriveds

workfarce

Holonyms

labour force · business · company

Hyponyms

payrollers · womanpower · contractors · temps · consultants

Meronyms

employee · worker

Synonyms

Any plural of the meronyms · workforce · staff · manpower · liveware · personnel · jobforce · labour force · human resources

Translations (57)

ar قُوَّة عَمَل (workers employed by an organization) · be працо́ўная сі́ла (workers employed by an organization) · uk робо́ча си́ла (workers employed by an organization) · ru трудовы́е ресу́рсы (workers employed by an organization) · sk pracovná sila (workers employed by an organization) · ja 労働人口 (workers employed by an organization) · da arbejdsstyrke (workers employed by an organization) · hu munkaerő (workers employed by an organization) · de Belegschaft (workers employed by an organization) · ko 노동력 (workers employed by an organization) · es fuerza de trabajo (workers employed by an organization) · nn arbeidsstyrke (workers employed by an organization) · tr işgücü (workers employed by an organization) · nl werkkracht (workers employed by an organization) · cmn 勞動力 /劳动力 (workers employed by an organization) · nb arbeidsstyrke (workers employed by an organization) · fr personnel (workers employed by an organization) · ru персона́л (workers employed by an organization) · mi taimahi (workers employed by an organization) · cmn 員工 /员工 (workers employed by an organization) · ru рабо́чая си́ла (workers employed by an organization) · es fuerza laboral (workers employed by an organization) · sv arbetskraft (workers employed by an organization) · lt darbo jėga (workers employed by an organization) · es población activa (workers employed by an organization) · ru штат (workers employed by an organization) · sw nguvukazi (workers employed by an organization) · it forza lavoro (workers employed by an organization) · vi lực lượng lao động (workers employed by an organization) · cy gweithlu (workers employed by an organization) · fr effectif (workers employed by an organization) · id angkatan kerja (workers employed by an organization) · sv arbetsstyrka (workers employed by an organization) · id tenaga kerja (workers employed by an organization) · fi työvoima (workers employed by an organization) · sl delovna sila (workers employed by an organization) · ko 로동력 (workers employed by an organization) · mk ра́ботна си́ла (workers employed by an organization) · de Arbeitskräfte (workers employed by an organization) · fa نیروی کار (workers employed by an organization) · az işçi qüvvəsi (workers employed by an organization) · it manodopera (workers employed by an organization) · sh radna snaga (workers employed by an organization) · es mano de obra (workers employed by an organization) · pl siła robocza (workers employed by an organization) · mn ажиллах хүч (workers employed by an organization) · sh радна снага (workers employed by an organization) · ca mà d'obra (workers employed by an organization) · pt mão de obra (workers employed by an organization) · cs pracovní síla (workers employed by an organization) · izh tööväki (workers employed by an organization) · fr main-d'œuvre (workers employed by an organization) · bg рабо́тна си́ла (workers employed by an organization) · gl man de obra (workers employed by an organization) · ja 労働力 (workers employed by an organization) · ms tenaga kerja (workers employed by an organization) · mi rāngaimahi (workers employed by an organization)