Most “unskilled labor” is heavily skill dependant. You wouldn’t want a chef, builder or plumber who didn’t know what they were doing. And for production: machinists, mechanics and foremen make or break profit with their skills.
So what’s a better name for these jobs?
Unskilled labor is unskilled not in the sense they don’t have any know-how or value but in the sense of the job itself not require a lot of qualification to be done.
An experienced manual worker has a lot value to any competent boss hiring them, or then the boss is rather incompetent, but the manual work required to the job is not comparable to, say, the skills required to be able to do brain surgery, or to write some marketing bullshit to convince million people that they need to buy a new car or phone, or that they should elect the most illiterate racist asshole candidate they could ever pick as their president. Those are all ‘skilled’ labor but, here again, that doesn’t mean they have any intrinsic better quality just that they required (a lot) more preparation/learning.
So “unqualified labour” might make more sense? Makes you sound like a bit of a wanker saying it, but maybe that’s a good thing.
FWIW I’ve never heard trades/factory jobs be called “unskilled” before. Only things like cashiers, servers, etc., which I believe are called that because there’s really no prerequisite (education or experience) to be immediately “good enough” to do the job
Literally, essential labor.
We have called people without a specific trade a Labourer, it’s bot that they are unskilled, it’s that they aren’t specialized.
Just call it “generalist labo(u)r” or “general laborer”.
That’s what the company called them.
Chefs, builders, and plumbers are unskilled labor? What world do you live in??
Trees for the forest
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I can totally see it for builders, as where I’m from the grunts would just follow orders and carry bricks (and other materials) around.
Chef, tho? I’ve seen good restaurants turn shit because their chefs left.
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low-barrier labor
low-investment labor
fungible labor
Low-barrier => accessible labor?
Fungible labor is new to me, but wouldn’t that imply an interchangeability that doesn’t quite reflect skill, and even moreso institutional such?
I thought of a better one: low-competition positions
but wouldn’t that imply an interchangeability that doesn’t quite reflect skill, and even moreso institutional such?
Sort of, yes. There’s definitely a difference between how an experienced hotel cleaner makes beds and how I make beds, but I can start cleaning hotelrooms tomorrow, without needing other qualifications. And you could also start tomorrow. And so could basically every other able-bodied adult, and we’d all do roughly the same job (though not as well as the person who’s done it for 10 years).
But neither of us can start tomorrow as a plumber, because it requires pre-existing training. That’s not an unskilled job.
You can start as a plumber tomorrow, but you would get mired in legal problems as soon as you put the title with your name:P
I once had a job that was literally just pushing a button.
My job is mostly thinking and pushing buttons.
Well I can rule out developer at Ubisoft if you’re thinking.
I make software for iron mining.
Trumps cabinet?
None of what you describe are unskilled labor. The term I’d use is tradesmen.
Unskilled would be cleaners, grocery clerks, waiters etc.
I’d even prefer “entry level” for that, because it’s not skill-less, it’s just easier to get without prior experience.
Even that doesn’t sit totally right with me. Gotta be a better way…
A lot of places won’t even hire wait staff without prior waiting experience, so “entry level” still doesn’t cover it very well.
Maybe “specialized service work” or something.
Maybe “specialized service work” or something.
That’s already better than entry level, yeah.
Work six months as a waiter, and tell me there’s no skill involved.
I was a waiter in and out for a year. It’s tiring and you can end up exhausted.
But the needed skills were very simple.
Maybe it depends on the type of waiter? I served on the bar and only drinks, which was fairly easy. And of course I didn’t own the place or anything. We also didn’t serve any special cocktails or weird drinks. I didn’t think that a special skill was needed to do what I did.
Like what?
They carrying of a lot of plate at once sure looks impressive, but I’m sure most people could learn that technique in a day or two. What else is there?
Knowing the menu, reading your table/having people skills, juggling 4-5 tasks at a time.
I’ve never been a waiter, I could start doing the job tomorrow, but it would still take a few weeks to get really good at it.
That, and dealing with dipsticks who think your job is easy
I’ve done one or two night of hospitality work. It wasn’t fun, and I had fairly easy roles. I appreciate it when others do it for me.
The waiters here carry a little tablet that contains the menu, can store orders and even does the maths in case you want to split-pay at the end.
That leaves being “somewhat sociable” as the remaining skill. True … I definitly couldn’t do that. I’d probably throw a drink at an annoying customer after a few days.
Found the non-tipper
You mean the non-American? Indeed.
It’s more of a mindset issue.
I agree. Having people’s compensation rely on tips is a very problematic mindet. Glad we don’t have that here.
I agree but if I went to a country that expected it I wouldn’t suddenly choose not to participate in some arrogant, self serving display despite knowing that all I’m doing is ruining someone’s day/hurting them financially to fuel my own sense of moral superiority without changing a goddamn thing.
And I certainly don’t feel the need to shit on someone’s job.
There’s a lot more to it than “carrying a lot of plate at once”.
First, you have to memorize the menu backwards and forwards. Not just the items, but also the ingredients and the cooking techniques. A customer is allergic to everything in the nightshade family. Do you know what you can’t offer them? Better learn it. Someone has never eaten smoked chicken and is concerned with the pink color of the meat. You better know how to explain the smoking process and how it affects meat color. What is the temperature difference between medium and medium-rare? Are your oysters local? What’s in rice pilaf? Why is it called “she-crab soup” (it’s not why you think)? You have to know all of this and about a million other things, and be able to recall it on the spot without hesitation and with full confidence, every time someone asks.
Second, you have to be a salesman. You need to be able to know how to convince people to buy something that they may not have considered buying when they walked through the door, and you have to know that they will not only thank you for it in the end, but financially reward you for it.
Third, you have to be cool under pressure. You might think you are, but until you’ve worked a dinner rush, you have no fucking idea. It is non-stop, go go go, and you need to time everything just right. You’ll also be talked down to by customers, yelled at by cooks, burned by hot plates, sexually harassed by both customers and coworkers, while fielding complaints and mistakes, and you have to do all of this while looking like you’re having the time of your life. A sour expression or a snarky comment will get you pulled from the floor, and if you’re waiting tables in the US, there goes about 20% of this weeks income.
Fourth, you need to be able to get along with everyone, or at least be such a convincing liar that Ted Bundy would be impressed with your sociopathic people skills. I am not kidding. You have to be able to ingratiate yourself like family with the drunk college bro table just as well as the black church group table. If you aren’t a social chameleon, you need not apply.
I could go on and on, but I hope you get the idea. Waiting tables is not easy, it’s not “unskilled”, and it takes a very specific personality type to do it well. The job has a high turnover rate because most people can’t do it.
First, you have to memorize the menu backwards and forwards. Not just the items, but also the ingredients and the cooking techniques […]
The servers in the local resurant here have a small tablet and can just look this up on the fly. No need to memorize anything. Not quite sure about the allergens, but that could easily be solved with software.
I can see how this could be a required skillset for a waiter in a super high-class restaurant where it would add to the prestige and professionalism, but in a average restuarant I’m totally fine with the waiter having a look at the tablet before answering a question about the menu.
Second, you have to be a salesman. You need to be able to know how to convince people to buy something that they may not have considered buying when they walked through the door, and you have to know that they will not only thank you for it in the end, but financially reward you for it.
I guess being annoying is a skill. But I absolutly fucking hate when people do that. The job is to take the order, not suggest one.
Again, outside of super-fancy restaurants, I’d think that’s actually quite inappropriate.
Third, you have to be cool under pressure. […] You’ll also be talked down to by customers, yelled at by cooks, burned by hot plates, sexually harassed by both customers and coworkers
So the skill to cope with a shitty work environment. I’m not trying to diminish that, it’s a serious skill. But also one that is require in almost every job these days. But I guess it’s particularly important in the gastronomie, I give you that one.
Fourth, you need to be able to get along with everyone, or at least be such a convincing liar that Ted Bundy would be impressed with your sociopathic people skills. […]
Disagree.
The entire fake-friendly act with a fake-smile is a very annoying American thing. Your job is to take the order and bring the food. After that I really don’t want to hear anything else but “Enjoy your meal” and “Was everything alright?”. Talkative waiters are the worst.
I served for about 7 years. None of the individual tasks are particularly difficult in isolation. The skill is juggling a couple dozen simple tasks quickly and efficiently in a chaotic environment. That is much more difficult than it seems.
Surgery is just cutting people. I’m sure i could learn it in a day.
Try it, then shit talk
Let me ask you this. Would you rather your surgeon deliver your food or your waiter perform surgery on you?
How long was your training as a waiter?
Depends. Fast casual, usually just follow someone on the floor for a shift. Fine dining on a cruise ship? That was three weeks, minimum.
So, all in all, roughly triple what your average, “skilled” law enforcement officer gets here in the states.
I did not say you were unskilled or that police were skilled. Everything is relative.
I checked training time at for some of the occupations that OP mentioned. I don’t live in the US so ymmv.
Car mechanic: 1 year. Painter: 1 year. Chef: 70 weeks. Plumber: 60 weeks.
Extra because you mentioned it: Police is 2 years in the school bench and 6 months of on the job training.
Generally, restaurants won’t let you talk to a customer until after at LEAST a week of training and shadowing. Most are more like 2-4 weeks.
Yes but compare that to a ‘skilled’ profession. 4 year degree, 5 years training under a licensed professional, series of examinations, and continuing education requirements.
It’s not that one is ‘unskilled’ in a vacuum, it’s that it has relatively less time/effort investment to reach ‘acceptable’ performance
I’ve worked for about a year as a waiter when I was younger. Compared to what I do now, there was virtually no skill involved.
Maybe basic education labor?
Or just “base labor”?
Base could convey both being the basis of society and/or the foundation of it.
I’m thinking the complement could still be skilled labor, or advanced or specialised labor.
How about “people we’re allowed to look down on that simultaneously keep society moving along?”
“Essential workers” I seem to recall from the pandemic.
Not so essential immediately afterwards, tho.
Yup
Oh no, absolutely essential but not essential enough to deserve respect, be paid a living wage, or require good working conditions. Just essential to my comfort.
FORMALDEHYDE FACE!
Don’t be rude! They’re obviously on the Wicked Witch Skin Regimen.
Edit: I have been told that plumbers don’t qualify as unskilled, and as such they have been exchanged for painter.
I’d argue painters aren’t unskilled either. Are you thinking of blue collar workers perhaps?
Untrained labour. There’s skill in unskilled labour, and even a significant amount in certain cases, but it’s the kind you can pick up on the fly. Any actual training is done quickly enough random shitty employers will take a loss on it.
It doesn’t matter if the training is physical exercise, advanced mathematics or just knowing how to act like the “right sort”, if you need it ahead of time jobs requiring it will pay more. It’s fair in a way, if still dysfunctional.
Edit: I have been told that plumbers don’t qualify as unskilled, and as such they have been exchanged for painter.
All the others are semi-skilled as well, except foreman which is a management position and so not usually included as unskilled. Chefs are not cooks, which is maybe more what you’re thinking of.
Mechanics don’t qualify as unskilled either, since they require education and certification. They fall under “skilled trades”. My brother is a mechanic (a master tech), and he’s done probably 10+ years of schooling, and has more certifications than I can recall. He’s one of like 3 people across 4 counties that is qualified to do everything he does.
But yeah, I don’t like the term “unskilled labor” in any context, even if it’s technically accurate in some cases. It feels dismissive, and many of the jobs it’s used to describe are the backbone of a functioning society. Honestly, I think we need to just do away with the value judgment terms like “skilled” versus “unskilled”, which only perpetuate the division of the working class.
What if we categorized all labor on a tier system with no implied superiority of one tier over another, just clarity on pathways to move from one tier to the next? Here’s a rough idea:
Tier 1: Specialized Service & Essential Labor
- Jobs that require training, adaptability, and situational skills but not formal education.
- Examples: Waitstaff, retail workers, janitorial staff, delivery drivers, housekeepers.
Tier 2: Technical & Trade-Based Roles
- Jobs requiring certifications, apprenticeships, or vocational training (but not necessarily a degree).
- Examples: Electricians, plumbers, EMTs, pharmacy techs, truck drivers (CDL).
Tier 3: Associate Professional & Supervisory Roles
- Jobs that may require some college, specialized training, or years of experience in Tier 1 and/or Tier 2 roles.
- Examples: Restaurant managers, IT support, paralegals, bookkeepers.
Tier 4: Degree-Dependent Professions
- Jobs requiring a bachelor’s degree or higher, often with licensure.
- Examples: Nurses, teachers, engineers, accountants.
Tier 5: Highly Specialized & Advanced Credential Roles
- Jobs requiring advanced degrees, residencies, or elite training.
- Examples: Surgeons, research scientists, professors, aerospace engineers.
I think most of those jobs are actually considered skilled jobs. Are they not?
When I think unskilled job I think picking fruit on the fields, cashier, delivering packages (though you need the driving skill so I don’t know) job that does actually not take much skill, and could probably be 100% learned how to do right in a week.
Nothing bad with an unskilled job anyway. If it needs to be done it needs to be done. Not because doing it takes no special skill means that it is less important.
