1.
manpower; workers; labor force
The number of workers or amount of labor available for a task or organization.
2.
another person's hands; someone else's possession
Hands belonging to someone else, or the state of something passing into another person's possession.
Refers to available labor power or the hands of others. In modern Japanese, sense 1 (manpower/labor) is far more common, especially in news and business contexts discussing labor shortages (人手不足).
Common collocations
- 人手不足: labor shortage
- 人手が足りない: not enough workers
- 人手を借りる: to borrow someone's help
- 人手に渡る: to pass into another's possession
- 人手を集める: to gather workers
Usage
The compound 人手不足 is extremely common in contemporary Japan, appearing frequently in discussions about the aging population, declining birthrate, and their effects on the workforce.