structural unemployment

noun

unemployment caused by basic changes in the overall economy, as in demographics, technology, or industrial organization.

Origin of structural unemployment

First recorded in 1960–65

Words Nearby structural unemployment

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use structural unemployment in a sentence

But Zachary Karabell says it shows that structural unemployment—not monthly ups and downs—is the real problem.
Jobs Report Shows Structural Unemployment Is the Real Problem | Zachary Karabell | December 3, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
We have a problem in the United States, a problem of chronic structural unemployment.
Obama’s Futile Jobs Plan | Zachary Karabell | September 8, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for structural unemployment

structural unemployment

noun

economics unemployment resulting from changes in the structure of an industry as a result of changes in either technology or taste

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

Cultural definitions for structural unemployment

structural unemployment

Relatively long-lasting unemployment resulting from long-term shifts in economies and markets rather than short-term savings in economic conditions.

Notes for structural unemployment

Structural unemployment tends to develop around major changes in an economy, such as the move from an industrial to a technological economy. Workers displaced by the decline of the old economy tend not to be trained in fields suitable for the new economy, so they remain out of work.

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