Arbeidsfelt

Arbeidsveld is a Dutch term that denotes the field or domain of work in which an individual, organization, or project operates. It reflects the scope of responsibilities, tasks, and expertise that define a professional activity. The term is closely related to, but distinct from, vakgebied (specialism) and arbeidsmarkt (labor market).

Etymologically, it combines arbeid (work) and veld (field), signaling the concrete area in which work is carried out rather than abstract knowledge alone. In practice, describing someone's arbeidsveld helps in job design, recruitment, and collaboration planning.

The concept is often used in human resources, career guidance, and project management to delimit what is within scope and what falls outside. For a software engineer, the arbeidsveld may include software development, debugging, system architecture, and maintenance; for a researcher, it might cover specific subfields such as molecular biology or ecology.

While interchangeable with werkveld or vakgebied in everyday language, each term carries nuance: werkveld emphasizes actual activities and daily practices, vakgebied highlights specialized knowledge, and arbeidsveld sits between these ideas as the practical domain of work.

See also: werkveld, vakgebied, arbeidsmarkt, arbeid, expertisegebied.