This is a method of setting work, usually preferred by the private sector. The worker is allocated an amount of work for an agreed rate of pay. The work he or she does is measured and the more they do the more they are paid. This approach can give very high productivities, but it can also result in exploitation, especially when the rate for the work is too low. Casual workers are seldom in a good position to negotiate favourable rates. The most dangerous situation is when workers have to put in very long hours to achieve even a subsistence rate of pay.
work paid for according to the quantity produced
A system of work in which pieceworkers are paid according to output or the number of units turned out (e.g. the shearing of sheep in the shearing industry)
Describes a payroll system generally used in production environments where employees are paid according to the actual number of pieces produced in a given time period.