Division of labour

Lore & Background

The division of labour has been observed in ancient Sumerian (Mesopotamian) culture, where assignment of jobs in some cities coincided with an increase in trade and economic interdependence. After the Neolithic Revolution, pastoralism and agriculture led to more reliable and abundant food supplies, which increased the population and spurred the specialisation of labour, including the emergence of new classes of artisans and warriors, as well as the development of elites. This specialisation was furthered by the process of industrialisation, and Industrial Revolution-era factories.

Pre-modern theories include Plato, who in his Republic argued that the origin of the state lies in the natural inequality of humanity embodied in the division of labour. Xenophon, in the 4th century BC, made a passing reference to division of labour in his Cyropaedia, noting that in large cities a man pursuing a very specialised task will do it best. Augustine of Hippo, in his The City of God, showed awareness of the role of different social layers in production, comparing workmen in the street of the silversmiths where a vessel passes through many hands. Medieval Persian scholars such as Nasir al-Din al-Tusi and al-Ghazali discussed the division of labour, with al-Ghazali using a needle factory example and Tusi claiming that exchange and division of labour are consequences of human reasoning capability.

Modern theorists include Sir William Petty, who first noted the division of labour in Dutch shipyards and applied the principle to his survey of Ireland. Bernard de Mandeville discussed the matter in the second volume of The Fable of the Bees. David Hume, in A Treatise on Human Nature, argued that by the partition of employments our ability increases. Henri-Louis Duhamel du Monceau, in his introduction to The Art of the Pin-Maker, wrote about the division of this work. Adam Smith, in the first sentence of An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, foresaw the essence of industrialism by determining that division of labour represents a substantial increase in productivity.

Reader's Guide

The division of labour is a foundational concept in economics and social organisation, recognised from ancient Sumerian culture through to modern industrial capitalism. Its significance lies in the observation that specialising tasks—whether by individuals, organisations, or nations—increases both overall producer productivity and individual worker productivity. The concept explains the motive for trade and the source of economic interdependence, as participants with specialised capabilities form combinations or trade to take advantage of others' capabilities. The historical development of the division of labour is tied to the Neolithic Revolution, which enabled specialisation into artisans and warriors, and later to industrialisation, which further refined task separation in factories. Classical economists and mechanical engineers, such as Charles Babbage, were proponents of the division of labour, noting that having lower-paid but more productive unskilled workers perform single or limited tasks eliminated the long training period required for artisans. The legacy of the division of labour includes its role in the rise of capitalism and the increasing complexity of industrialised processes, as well as its critique by thinkers like Plato, who argued that it hinders the individual from ordering his own soul by cultivating acquisitive motives over prudence and reason.

Did You Know?

• The division of labour has been observed in ancient Sumerian (Mesopotamian) culture, where assignment of jobs in some cities coincided with an increase in trade and economic interdependence.
• Plato, in his Republic, argued that the origin of the state lies in the natural inequality of humanity embodied in the division of labour.
• Medieval Persian scholar al-Ghazali used a needle factory as an example of the division of labour.
• Adam Smith, in the first sentence of An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, determined that division of labour represents a substantial increase in productivity.