employment

[ em-ploi-muhnt ]

noun

1. an act or instance of employing someone or something.
2. the state of being employed; employ; service:

   to begin or terminate employment.

3. an occupation by which a person earns a living; work; business.

   Synonyms: profession, trade, job, calling, vocation

4. the total number of people gainfully employed or working.
5. an activity or the like that occupies a person's time:

   She found knitting a comforting employment for her idle hours.

employment

/ ɪmˈplɔɪmənt /

noun

1. the act of employing or state of being employed
2. the work or occupation in which a person is employed
3. the purpose for which something is used

Other Words From

• nonem·ployment noun
• over·em·ployment noun
• proem·ployment adjective
• reem·ployment noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of employment¹

First recorded in 1585–95; employ + -ment

Example Sentences

Agencies would be responsible for reporting any changes in an officer’s employment or any complaints or misconduct charges.

From Voice of San Diego

She’s part of the team, for example, that is challenging Instacart under controversial new state employment laws.

From Voice of San Diego

LGBTQ people are more likely than the general public to have lost employment due to the pandemic.

From Washington Blade

While the entire world is feeling the effects, oil and gas cities and regions are on the frontline of those changes—the results produce huge shifts in employment, public funding, even migration.

From Fortune

Currently in the US, and indeed many other economies, healthcare is tied to employment.

From Singularity Hub 

In Turkey, crime groups in border areas are exploiting the labor of Syrian male refugees who cannot find legitimate employment.

From The Daily Beast

In 2013, with help from corporations, the federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act finally passed in the Senate.

From The Daily Beast

Thank you, government policies, for the employment—2.7 million jobs have been added to the U.S. economy this year.

From The Daily Beast

Take the case of Herx v. Diocese of Fort Wayne, an employment discrimination suit in the Seventh Circuit.

From The Daily Beast

They have multiple employment centers and the vast majority of commuters take to the roads.

From The Daily Beast

My father, who was a professional cricketer, was smashed up by an accident, and I had three horrible years in employment in shops.

From Project Gutenberg

Thinking it was a request for employment which he could not offer, Malcolm stuffed it carelessly into a pocket.

From Project Gutenberg

The obstacles operating against the development of enterprises and employment of foreign capital to be removed.

From Project Gutenberg

To supply eminent humorists and others with enjoyable, rational, and profitable employment.

From Project Gutenberg

But the first practical point to be struggled for is that of steady employment and just reward for labor.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• business
• contracting
• enrollment
• hiring
• job
• recruitment
• service
• trade

More About Employment

What does employment mean?

Employment most generally means the state of having a paid job—of being employed.

To employ someone is to pay them to work. An employer provides employment to employees.

Employment can also refer to the act of employing people, as in We’re working to increase our employment of women. 

Or it can refer to a person’s work or how they earn a living, as in What does he do for employment?

In the context of economics, employment is commonly used to mean the total number of people employed, such as in a country, as in Employment is up this quarter, with thousands of new jobs having been created. The opposite of this is unemployment—the total number of people who are unemployed (who do not have a job). Unemployment also commonly means the state of being unemployed.

Employ can also be used as a synonym of the verb use, and employment can be employed as a synonym of the noun use, as in The employment of artificial intelligence creates many ethical concerns. 

Example:In this economy, finding consistent employment is a challenge for many workers.

Where does employment come from?

Employment is a noun form of the verb employ, which is first recorded in the 1400s. Employ ultimately derives from the Latin implicāre, meaning “to engage” (the word engage is sometimes used to mean “to hire” or “to employ”). The words employer and employee came later. In employee, the suffix -ee indicates a person who is the object or beneficiary of employment.

While employees are often seen as the ones getting this benefit—and the benefits that sometimes come with it, such as health insurance—the employee-employer relationship is based on the exchange of work for money. This exchange is often formalized through some kind of contract or employment agreement, and employment is most often used in the context of official situations like this. Sometimes, a person may get paid by a company or person for work, but they may not consider themselves to be in the employment of that person or company—that is, they don’t consider themselves an employee.

Workers’ employment is sometimes discussed in terms of whether it’s full-time or part-time.

When employment refers to the total number of people employed, it’s often used in news reports that discuss whether employment numbers are “up” (meaning the total has increased since the last time it was measured) or “down” (meaning it has decreased).

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to employment?

• employ (verb)
• unemployment (noun)
• nonemployment (noun)
• underemployment (noun)
• overemployment (noun)
• reemployment (noun)
• proemployment (adjective)

What are some synonyms for employment?

• use
• employ (when used as a noun)

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

• employer
• employee
• employable
• unemployed
• underemployed
• self-employed

What are some words that often get used in discussing employment?

• job
• full-time
• part-time
• report
• numbers
• up
• down
• work
• worker
• hire
• business
• company
• wages
• labor

How is employment used in real life?

Employment is most commonly used in the context of jobs. When it’s used to as another word for the noun use, it’s somewhat formal.

Employment surged by 2.5 million in May — the biggest one-month jobs gain on record. https://t.co/p9WpO6SNly pic.twitter.com/x3svAbtup5

— CNBC (@CNBC) June 5, 2020

There was a dramatic decline in the employment of African-American teachers in the aftermath of desegregation https://t.co/kMWgWiJcRU

— The Economist (@TheEconomist) July 8, 2019

Initiatives like these will go a long way in creating new avenues for employment, which is most needed nowadays.

— Education Minister (@Minister_Edu) October 25, 2017

 

 

Try using employment!

Is employment used correctly in the following sentence?

Employment has been down for the last three quarters, but it’s expected to bounce back.