The term day laborer (Latin mercenarius or operarius, German Tagelöhner or Tagwerker, French journalier, homme/gens de journée, or manouvrier) does not denote a homogenous social group, but a spectrum of positions in the early modern world of work. Typically, day laborers display a range of characteristic common features: wage labor without contractual regulation, irregular employment with frequent change of e…