laboral

Laboral is an adjective in Spanish that denotes anything related to labor, work, or employment. It is used to describe topics connected with the world of work, including laws, institutions, and working conditions. The term comes from Latin labor, laboris, and is cognate with similar terms in other Romance languages and with the English word labor.

In legal and economic discourse, several common phrases center on laboral topics: derecho laboral (labor law), relaciones laborales (labor relations), condiciones laborales (working conditions), jornada laboral (workday), horas laborales (working hours), and seguridad laboral (occupational safety). The phrase mercado laboral refers to the labor market, including unemployment rates and job availability. These usages are widespread in Spain and throughout Latin America.

Usage notes: laboral typically denotes work-related matters rather than personal life. It is usually placed before the noun as part of a compound term (derecho laboral, condiciones laborales). The related noun forms are often found in plural or in longer compound expressions. In some contexts, the term helps distinguish regulatory or employment topics from other domains, such as distinguishing laboral from profesional or económico.

See also: labor market, labor rights, occupational safety, employment law, working conditions.