Labour has some special characteristics which are not found in other factors of production. They are as follows.
(i) Labour is perishable: If a worker does not work on a particular day, his labour for that day is wasted. Labour is thus, perishable. Labour cannot be stored.
(ii) Labour is an active factor of production: Land and capital are passive factors, but labour is an active of production. Without labour, other factors of production, viz., land and capital, cannot produce anything. Labour is a living organism. Hence, it requires sympathetic treatment