Because of our modern maps, we have a tendency to say "up" when we speak of the north, and "down" when we talk about going south. In scripture, however, it is almost always "up to Jerusalem" - even though Jerusalem lies toward the southern end of the Holy Land.
This is because Jerusalem is quite literally "up" in the geographic sense. In a world before maps, you would naturally speak of "up" when you meant "up"! Mount Zion in Jerusalem is of higher elevation than the land around it. This little fact comes into play when materials for the Temple like timber and stone must be brought to Jerusalem. In the days before modern freight trucking, that stuff needed to be hauled physically, often by hand.
That's why there was such a need for many laborers. Solomon took the aliens living in the land and used them as conscripted labor. A census revealed that there were 153,600 foreigners. Of these, 70,000 Solomon assigned to be laborers, 80,000 as stone cutters, and 3,600 as overseers (vs. 17-18).
While not exactly slaves, they weren't exactly free, either. These conscripted men would take the cedar logs floated down from Lebanon (low elevation) and haul them "up to Jerusalem" (high elevation). As King Huram wrote to Solomon, "We will cut whatever timber you need from Lebanon, and bring it to you as rafts by sea to Joppa; you will take it up to Jerusalem" (vs. 16). The stone cutters would similarly have to transport their heavy products "up to Jerusalem."
Building the Temple was a grand endeavor, and Solomon knew it would take a lot of work, including some forced labor.
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