Key terms & definitions

One of the twelve extraordinary tasks associated with Heracles’ service to King Eurystheus.

The human effort, skills and knowledge used in production.

A government office that helped people seeking work find employers with vacancies.

The proportion of a population who are employed or actively seeking employment.

People who depended on physical work for wages and had little wealth or security.

A manufacturing method that requires a large amount of workers' time rather than relying mainly on automated machinery.

The workers available to a business in an area, including their skills and experience.

People’s capacity to work, including their skills, knowledge and ability to carry out tasks.

Output per worker over a given period of time.

The organisation founded in 1900 by trade unions and socialist groups to secure independent Labour representation in Parliament; it adopted the Labour Party name in 1906.

An appliance that reduces the time or effort needed for a task, such as a washing machine used for household laundry.

Work that an unfree peasant owed to a lord in return for holding land.

A shortage of available workers to fill jobs.

The rate at which employees leave a business and need replacing.

In Greek myth, the maze built by Daedalus at Knossos on Crete to contain the Minotaur.

The uncertainty of an owner's income and the absence of guaranteed employment benefits, such as sick pay and paid holidays.

Applying a clear protective coating to a surface, preserving the visible appearance of the material beneath.

A build-up of lactate in the muscles and blood during intense exercise, when oxygen supply is insufficient to meet the demands of the working muscles.

A substance formed by the incomplete oxidation of glucose during anaerobic respiration in muscle cells.

A substance formed by the incomplete oxidation of glucose during anaerobic respiration in muscles.

A substance produced when glucose is incompletely broken down during anaerobic respiration in muscles.

An acid produced when selected bacteria ferment milk sugar; it gives yoghurt a sour taste and helps milk proteins coagulate.

A vegetarian who eats dairy products and eggs.

A sugar found in milk and dairy products.

An inability to digest lactose, the sugar found in milk and dairy products.

A vegetarian who eats dairy products but does not eat eggs.

A line of released stitches that develops when knitted loops become undone, also called a run.

A body of water separated from the open sea by a barrier such as a coastal bar.

The time between peak rainfall and peak river discharge on a flood hydrograph.

A volcanic mudflow formed when water mixes with ash and other volcanic material.