Abstract: In the development of the history of economic thought, the roles labor plays in economic activities have always been the critical issue in the theoretical arena, accordingly, forming two distinct research approaches. Western economics holds that labor acts as one of the factors of production and is involved in creating social wealth, while Marxist economics holds that labor is the only source of value creation, establishing a scientific theory of labor value. A deep exploration and a comprehensive comparison of the evolution and analysis of the two schools are of great significance to the correct analysis of the characteristics of China's present distribution mode. Deeply exploring and comprehensively comparing the ideological evolution and analysis methods of the two schools of theory has an important enlightenment and significance for correctly analyzing the characteristics of the present distribution mode in China.