labour-intensiveˌlabour-inˈtensive British EnglishBrE, labor-intensive American EnglishAmE adjectiveadjCOMMERCEMANUFACTURING needing a lot of workers in order to produce somethingThe company was using old, labour-intensive production methods.
Whereas goods production can be automated, the production of services is labor-intensive.
→ compare capital-intensive