- workforce
- nounADJECTIVE▪ educated, qualified, skilled, trained, well-educated, well-trained▪
a highly skilled workforce
▪ flexible, mobile, versatile▪ committed, dedicated, motivated▪ unionized▪ local▪A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.
▪ ageing/aging, declining, diminishing▪A declining workforce has to provide for an increasing number of retired people.
▪ available, total▪The shipyard has a total workforce of 9 000.
▪ entire, whole▪The new management decided to retrain the entire workforce.
▪ worldwide▪ large, small▪ reduced▪ 2 000-strong, etc.▪ temporary▪ British, Japanese, US, etc.▪ female, male▪ diverse, multicultural▪Companies are under pressure to hire a more diverse workforce.
▪ industrial, manufacturingVERB + WORKFORCE▪ employ, have▪The company employs a workforce of nearly 5 000.
▪ cut, downsize, halve, reduce, shrink, slash, slim, slim down, trim▪ double, expand, increase▪ educate, retrain, train▪ consult, consult with▪The management always consults with the workforce before introducing major changes.
▪ enter, leave, re-enter▪The increase in the number of people entering the workforce has increased unemployment figures.
WORKFORCE + VERB▪ fall▪ double, increase, rise▪ number sth, stand at sth▪The workforce numbers 500.
PREPOSITION▪ among a/the workforce▪There is a change in the distribution of skills among the workforce.
▪ in a/the workforce▪One person in the workforce is always responsible for the same job.
PHRASES▪ a member of the workforce
Collocations dictionary. 2013.