human capital

noun

: the skills, knowledge, and qualifications of a person, group, or workforce considered as economic assets

Nothing is more important to a company, nation, or individual than intelligence. It is the fundamental key to problem-solving and wealth creation, and underpins the human capital that drives every company and nation forward.

—Peter H. Diamandis

In fact, the evidence suggests that public investments in human capital, including higher education, yield long-term economic rates of return that far exceed most standard investments in technology or capital.

—Edward L. Glaeser

All of this coincided with the emergence in academe of the idea of "human capital": the notion that the more skilled the work force, the more productive it tends to be.

—Denis P. Doyle et al.

Examples of human capital in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Investing in human capital is just as important as investing in physical capital. —Danaya Wilson, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025

The United States also attracts human capital, drawing thousands of scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs from around the world each year. —Michael Beckley, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025

And then there is all the human capital, the real reason to live in New York — all the under-the-radar (and on-the-radar) people who make the city worth the chaos. —Ginia Bellafante, New York Times, 28 Dec. 2024

IPOs necessitate changes in human capital and operational direction alike. —Ilona Limonta-Volkova, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1799, in the meaning defined above