What does Exodus 1:12 mean?

So the Egyptians forced the Israelites into hard labor, putting slave masters over them to wear them down with heavy work. They had to build the cities of Pithom and Rameses for Pharaoh. Exodus 1:12 - Modern Text Bible

(To control the Israelites, the Egyptians enslaved them and made them build storage cities for Pharaoh.)