noun
Refers specifically to workers employed in a factory setting. This sense is sensitive, likely because it can carry a somewhat dated or class-based nuance; in modern contexts, 工員 or 工場労働者 may be preferred.
See also: 工員
戦前は多くの職工がこの工場で働いていた。
Before the war, many factory workers worked at this plant.
noun
Used for skilled manual workers such as carpenters, plasterers, or other traditional tradespeople. This sense is less common in modern Japanese, where 職人 is the usual term.
See also: 職人
この町には腕のいい職工が集まっている。
Skilled craftsmen gather in this town.