Definition
The number of people available to work or available for a job, usually considered as a resource or supply.
Etymology
A compound of 'man' (person) and 'power' (strength or capability), first used in the 1800s as factories and industries needed to think about how many workers they had available.
Kelly Says
The term 'manpower' became super important during wars when countries tracked how many soldiers they could field—it's basically human resource optimization, but militarized!
Translations
AMአማርኛ
ሠረተኛ ስራ
seh-reh-teh-nyah seh-rah
ARالعربية
قوة عاملة
kwah ah-meh-lah
BNবাংলা
শ্রম শক্তি
shrom shokti
CACatalà
manxa de treball
mahhn-yah deh treh-bahl
CSČeština
pracovní síla
prah-choh-vee see-lah
DADansk
arbejdskraft
ahrbah-ee-tskrahft
DEDeutsch
Arbeitskraft
ahrbah-ee-tskrahft
ELΕλληνικά
εργατική δύναμη
ehr-gah-tee-kee doo-nah-mee
ESEspañol
mano de obra
mah-noh deh oh-brah
FAفارسی
نیروی کار
niruy-e kahr
FISuomi
työvoima
tyoo-voi-mah
FRFrançais
main-d'œuvre
mehn-durv
GUGU
માનવ સંસાધન
maanav san-saadhan
HAHA
aikin yi
ah-ee-keen yee
HEעברית
כוח עבודה
koh-ahkh oov-dah
HIहिन्दी
मानव संसाधन
maanav san-saadhan
HUMagyar
munkaerő
moon-kah-eh-roh
IDBahasa Indonesia
tenaga kerja
teh-nah-gah keh-rah
IGIG
ọrụ ụmụaka
oh-roo oo-moo-ah-kah
ITItaliano
manodopera
mah-noh-doh-peh-rah
KKKK
еңбек күші
yehn-bek kyoo-shee
KMKM
កម្លាំងពលកម្ម
kam-lahng peul kahm
MRMR
मानव संसाधन
maanav san-saadhan
MSBahasa Melayu
tenaga kerja
teh-nah-gah keh-rah
MYမြန်မာ
အလုပ်အကိုင်
ah-loot ah-kyain
NLNederlands
arbeidskracht
ahrbah-ee-tskrahft
NONorsk
arbeidskraft
ahrbah-ee-tskrahft
PAPA
ਮਨੁੱਖੀ ਸਰੋਤ
manukhee sarot
PLPolski
siła robocza
see-lah roh-boh-chah
PTPortuguês
mão de obra
mah-oo deh oh-brah
RORomână
forță de muncă
fohr-tsah deh moon-kah
RUРусский
рабочая сила
rah-boh-chah-yah see-lah
SVSvenska
arbetskraft
ahrbah-ee-tskrahft
SWKiswahili
nguvu kazi
n-goo-voo kah-zee
TAதமிழ்
உழைப்பு சக்தி
uzhaippu shakthi
TEతెలుగు
శ్రమ శక్తి
shrama shakthi
THไทย
กำลังคน
gahm-lahng khon
TLTL
puwersa ng paggawa
poo-wehr-sah ng pahg-gah-wah
TRTürkçe
işgücü
eesh-gyoo-choo
UKУкраїнська
працівна сила
prah-tsee-vnah see-lah
URاردو
مزدوری قوت
mazdoori qoot
VITiếng Việt
lực lượng lao động
luhk loong lah-oh doong
YOYO
agbara ise
ah-gbah-rah ee-seh
ZUZU
amandla okwasebenza
ah-mahnd-lah oh-kwah-seh-ben-zah
Ethical Language Guidance
Gender History
Gendered term assuming workforce is male. Originated in industrial era when women were excluded from formal labor markets.
Inclusive Usage
Use 'workforce', 'labor', 'personnel', or 'staff' as gender-neutral alternatives.
Inclusive Alternatives
["workforce","personnel","labor capacity","staff"]
Empowerment Note
Women comprise half the global workforce; this term's persistence erases their economic contribution and labor value.