Manual labor is a term used for hard physical work done with the hands, especially in an unskilled manual job such as fruit and vegetable picking, et cetera.

In ancient times, the status of manual laborers was low, as most physical labor was done by slaves. This continued into the Feudal period, where skilled laborers were seen as artisans, and could aspire to become influential citizens.

Beginning with the Industrial Revolution, however, the introduction of reliable machinery again lowered the status of laborers. Also, since roughly that time, laborers have become more organized, presumably to prevent further devaluation of their status; this has been somewhat successful.

See Also

• Roughneck