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# workforce adjustment

noun phrase (a workforce adjustment, workforce adjustments); jargon

«workforce adjustment» in the English dictionary: in the primary school — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## In the primary school

Source: Mova's pupils' dictionary. Licence: [Elamur Cosmic License](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/LICENSE/). Reviewed: the dictionary the pupils of Mova's primary school read; its examples quote the lessons and public-domain tales. Ships with Mova.

### Meaning

1. (euphemism, business and government jargon) cutting jobs: telling some workers they will lose their jobs, so a company or government office has fewer staff.
2. (literal) any change to the workers of a place, such as moving them to other jobs or changing their hours, or sometimes hiring more.

### In the lessons

Official, cold-sounding wording used by employers, governments and unions to hide or soften layoffs, so the news sounds like neat planning instead of people losing work. Very common in Canada (the federal public service uses it for job cuts), also in business news everywhere. Register: jargon, formal, «spin». Related phrases: «downsizing», «restructuring», «right-sizing», «let go», «redundancies» (UK).

### Examples

- The union was told of a workforce adjustment in the Ottawa office.
- News: About 300 public servants received workforce adjustment notices this week.
- Letter: Your position has been identified as affected by a workforce adjustment.
- Dad, at dinner: «Workforce adjustment — that's a fancy way of saying they're sacking people.»
- Report: The workforce adjustment will save the company money but leave fewer nurses on each ward.
- Chat: «Did you hear? Another workforce adjustment at the plant.» «Ugh, more layoffs.»
- Literal: The workforce adjustment moved ten staff from the night shift to the day shift.

### Note

Trap: it sounds neutral and harmless but usually means people lose their jobs. To a worker who is told it, it can sound cold and heartless. Plain words: layoffs, job cuts, sacking, firing. «Workforce» is one word. In a maths problem, a workforce adjustment usually means the number of workers goes down.