Work done by the day; labor paid on a daily basis rather than by task or contract.
From Old English 'dæg' (day) and 'weorc' (work). This term became increasingly common during the Industrial Revolution as wage labor replaced apprenticeship and long-term contracts.
Daywork was the precursor to modern hourly wages—instead of apprenticing for years or contracting for a big project, workers could show up and get paid for each day's labor, which revolutionized labor flexibility!
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