[ley-ber-in-ten-siv] 
| requiring or using a large supply of labor, relative to capital. |
| la·bor-in·ten·sive (lā'bər-ĭn-těn'sĭv) adj. Requiring or having a large expenditure of labor in comparison to capital: "Intrigue and subversion are labor-intensive undertakings" (George F. Kennan). |
A term describing industries that require a great deal of labor relative to capital (compare capital-intensive). Examples of labor-intensive industries are forms of agriculture that cannot make use of machinery and service industries, such as restaurants.