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View synonyms for

unemployment

[ uhn-em-ploi-muhnt ]

noun

  1. the state of being unemployed, especially involuntarily:

    Automation poses a threat of unemployment for many unskilled workers.

  2. the number of persons who are unemployed.


unemployment

/ ˌʌɪˈɔɪəԳ /

noun

  1. the condition of being unemployed
  2. the number of unemployed workers, often as a percentage of the total labour force
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Word Forms

  • t·ܲe·DzmԳ adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of unemployment1

First recorded in 1885–90; un- 1 + employment
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The analyst said he also expected Ramaphosa to focus on strengthening trade ties with Ukraine, as South Africa's economy was in crisis, with low growth and high unemployment.

From

If U.S. policy becomes totally unpredictable, companies stop investing, which means slower growth, higher inflation, and eventually more unemployment.

From

Long-term unemployment could be bad for social stability.

From

Decades-long marginalisation of Kurds means widespread unemployment in the region, driving many to a life of kolbari, where they risk being shot by security forces and border patrols.

From

And growing unemployment has also potentially made their job less secure.

From

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More About Unemployment

doesܲԱ𳾱Dz⳾Գmean?

Unemployment is the state of not having a paid job—of being unemployed.

Unemployment is also commonly used in the context of economics to mean the total number of people unemployed, such as in a country, as in Unemployment is down this quarter, with thousands of new jobs having been created. The opposite of this is employment—the total number of people who are employed. Employment also commonly means the state of being employed.

The word unemployment is sometimes used as a short and informal way of referring to an unemployment benefit, which is an allowance of money paid to unemployed workers, such as by the government. People receiving such a benefit are often said to be receiving unemployment.

Example: Unemployment is extremely stressful when you go months without any job prospects.

Where does ܲԱ𳾱Dz⳾Գcome from?

The first records of the word unemployment come from the 1880s. Its base word, employ, ultimately derives from the Latin , meaning “to engage” (the word engage is sometimes used to mean “to hire” or “to employ”).

When unemployment refers to the total number of people who are not employed, it’s often used in news reports that discuss employment reports and whether unemployment or unemployment numbers are “up” (meaning the total has increased since the last time it was measured) or “down” (meaning it has decreased).

Unemployment is sometimes discussed along with underemployment. A person who is underemployed has a job, but is not working full-time or as many hours as they want to be.

Did you know ... ?

are some other forms related to unemployment?

are some words that share a root or word element with unemployment?

are some words that often get used in discussing unemployment?

How is ܲԱ𳾱Dz⳾Գused in real life?

Unemployment is always used in the context of jobs: not having a job, how many people don’t have jobs, and the monetary support those people sometimes get.

Try usingunemployment!

Is unemployment used correctly in the following sentence?

Unemployment has been up for the last three quarters, but it’s expected to start decreasing.

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unemployedunemployment benefit