A labour-intensive industry or job needs a lot of workers to get the work done. Picking fruit, sewing clothes in a small workshop, caring for patients — these often need many people for each thing produced. The contrasting idea is capital-intensive: you spend on machines and money, so you need fewer people.

A labour-intensive industry or job labour-intensive的產業或工作 needs a lot of workers to get the work done 需要很多人力才能把事情做完。Picking fruit, sewing clothes in a small workshop, caring for patients 像採水果、在小工廠裡縫衣服、照顧病人——these often need many people for each thing produced 這些常常是做出一樣東西就要用到很多人。The contrasting idea is capital-intensive 相對的概念是capital-intensive：you spend on machines and money 你花錢在機器和資本上，so you need fewer people 所以需要的人比較少。

Though actually, students often hear labour and think this means the work is painfully hard (laborious). It does not. The work might be simple; the point is the number of people.

Though actually, students often hear labour 但其實學生常常一聽到labour and think this means the work is painfully hard (laborious) 就以為是指工作很辛苦（laborious的意思）。It does not 其實不是這個意思。The work might be simple 這個工作可能很簡單，the point is the number of people 重點是人數多不多。

In business talk people also stretch it a little: “This project is labour-intensive” can just mean it will eat a lot of staff time.

In business talk people also stretch it a little 在商業用語裡大家也會把這個字用得寬鬆一點："This project is labour-intensive" 「This project is labour-intensive」 can just mean it will eat a lot of staff time 可能只是說這個專案會吃掉很多員工的時間。

This spelling with labour is British and is common in Taiwan textbooks; American English writes labor-intensive.

This spelling with labour is British 這個labour的拼法是英式的，and is common in Taiwan textbooks 台灣課本也很常用這個拼法；American English writes labor-intensive 美式英文寫成labor-intensive。