Statute of Labourers

The Statute of Labourers was a law enacted in England in 1351. It aimed to address labor shortages and rising wages following the Black Death pandemic, which had significantly reduced the population. The statute sought to freeze wages at pre-plague levels and restrict the movement of laborers, essentially requiring them to work for any employer who offered the legally mandated wage.1

This law is an example of early labor regulation, a concept that developed significantly with industrial revolutions from the 18th century onward. While the Statute of Labourers focused on controlling wages and labor mobility, later legislation, such as the Factory Act of 1833, addressed issues like child labor in factories. The Statute of Labourers was not repealed until 1875.231