What does piecework mean?
Piecework is employment in which pay depends on how much work a person completes rather than on the number of hours worked. The unit of payment is typically a finished item or task, such as a garment, component, photograph, or piece of furniture. The arrangement can encourage speed and productivity, but it may also expose workers to unstable earnings, pressure, or difficult conditions when quality is secondary to quantity. Piecework is especially associated with manufacturing, crafts, and other work in which output can be counted. The related word pieceworker refers to someone paid under this arrangement. It is distinct from ordinary salaried or hourly employment, although the term can describe either the individual job or the broader compensation system.
nounWork that is paid according to the number of items produced or tasks completed rather than by the hour. It may involve piece-rate pay, in which a worker receives a set amount for each finished piece.
- Work paid according to the amount of work completed, usually the number of items produced.
- A system of employment in which workers are paid a fixed rate for each finished piece or task.
"The factory offered piecework, so the workers earned more by producing more items."
"After completing a trial period, she was offered piecework assembling electronic components."
"Under the piecework system, employees received additional pay for every item they completed beyond their quota."
The plural is uncommon; the word is normally used as an uncountable noun.
"The workshop has traditionally relied on pieceworks rather than fixed weekly salaries."
Piecework is one of the oldest ways of linking earnings to output: instead of the clock, completed items determine the pay.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of piecework
Piecework combines the older English word piece with work, a compound that became established during the nineteenth century as industrial production expanded. Piece itself comes through Old French from a Latin word associated with a piece or portion. The same Latin source ultimately underlies words such as pie and pizza.
Related word forms
How piecework is actually used
The term is primarily used in employment and industrial contexts. It can describe both the work itself and the payment system based on completed output, and it may carry a neutral or slightly critical connotation when workers are pushed to increase their output.