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.

3. Informal.,  unemployment benefit.

unemployment

/ ˌʌnɪmˈplɔɪmənt /

noun

1. the condition of being unemployed

2. the number of unemployed workers, often as a percentage of the total labour force

Other Word Forms

• antiunemployment adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of unemployment¹

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

Example Sentences

The nation’s unemployment rate rose slightly to 4.3%, while remaining at historic lows.

From Salon

Claims for unemployment payments also ticked up this week, while Friday's report put the unemployment rate at the highest level since October 2021, although it is still not far from historic lows.

From BBC

Many ordinary Indonesians criticize the government for primarily serving the interests of the wealthy elite even as youth unemployment soars and wages stagnate.

From Los Angeles Times

But the economy was at the centre of the election campaign with the Labour Party pointing to the low unemployment rate of 3.3% as one of its achievements in office.

From BBC

It says low levels of education, unemployment, social segregation and refugee's war trauma are all causes - not the fact of being a migrant.

From BBC

Related Words

• bankruptcy 
• collapse 
• decline 
• deflation 
• downturn 
• hard times www.thesaurus.com
• inflation 
• shakeout 
• slide 
• slump 
• stagnation 

When To Use

What does unemployment mean?

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.