piecework
PEES-wurk
/ˈpiːswɜːk/
Work paid for according to the quantity produced or tasks completed rather than the time spent working.
Shifts all speed and efficiency risk onto the worker, common in manufacturing and gig micro-task platforms.
The story behind the word. A compound of English 'piece' and 'work' that arose during the Industrial Revolution to describe factory and cottage industry labor where workers were compensated per completed item or piece.
Word relationships
- task-based pay: Task-based pay is a modern term, whereas piecework carries historical labor-industrial connotations.
- commission: Commission is typically a percentage of sales, while piecework pays a flat rate per completed unit.
- hourly pay: Compensation determined strictly by hours spent on duty.
- salary: Fixed periodic payment regardless of output quantity.
Commonly confused with
- freelance: Freelance work involves project contracts; piecework refers specifically to paying per micro-unit produced.
Word family
- pieceworker (noun): A person employed on piecework.
Collocations
- piecework rate
- piecework basis
- do piecework
- digital piecework
Example sentences
- "Early garment factories relied heavily on piecework, paying seamstresses strictly by the shirt produced." Labor History
- "Data annotation apps operate on a modern form of digital piecework, paying fractions of a cent per image labeled." Modern Platform Work
Memory hook
You earn your pay PIECE by PIECE. Piecework = paid per piece.
When not to use
Do not use for hourly wage positions or annual executive salaries.
Fun facts
- Piecework was outlawed in many early 20th-century union contracts because it incited dangerous worker speed-ups.
Related words
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