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 Words From

• anti·unem·ployment adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of unemployment¹

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

Example Sentences

The proportion of uninsured Americans has been steadily growing over the past few years, a trend that is likely to accelerate as the pandemic’s record unemployment causes many to lose their employer-sponsored health benefits.

From Quartz

That left 78,000 people looking for work at a time when federal unemployment benefits were running out.

From ProPublica

We saw how effective this could be when the federal government approved the $1,200 stimulus for all Americans and $600 in additional unemployment benefits for those who lost their jobs.

From Fortune

The survey panel’s projected unemployment rate for December, for instance, is 2 percentage points lower now than it was when we asked just a month earlier.

From FiveThirtyEight

Stay-at-home orders in March due to the coronavirus pandemic triggered widespread unemployment in the United States.

From Science News

Last year, it let an unemployment extension for the long-term jobless expire during the holidays.

From The Daily Beast

For much of the past half century, the rustbelt states suffered high levels of unemployment.

From The Daily Beast

Youth unemployment currently stands at over 50 percent, and that in a country where half the population is under the age of 18.

From The Daily Beast

This in a state that has a near record-low unemployment of  4.4 percent.

From The Daily Beast

For men of the same age and educational background, the unemployment figure is just 5.8 percent.

From The Daily Beast

"Unemployment," in the case of the willing and able becomes henceforth a social crime.

From Project Gutenberg

And then I suppose hell be out of work over there, and we shall be hearing of the unemployment in the Colonies!

From Project Gutenberg

If I could only do something—solve the unemployment problem or make some grand gesture—in answer to all this.

From Project Gutenberg

That step would be to learn how labor can enrich itself and do away with strikes and unemployment.

From Project Gutenberg

Then some day comes the unemployment crisis, and a wave of revolt sweeping over the country.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• bankruptcy
• collapse
• decline
• deflation
• downturn
• hard times
• inflation
• shakeout
• slide
• slump
• stagnation

More About Unemployment

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. 

Where does unemployment come from?

The first records of the word unemployment come from the 1880s. Its base word, employ, ultimately derives from the Latin implicāre, 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 ... ?

What are some other forms related to unemployment?

• employment (noun)

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

• unemployment benefit
• unemployed
• employ
• employer
• employee
• underemployed

 

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

• job
• report
• benefit
• up
• down
• numbers
• work
• worker
• hire
• hire
• hire

How is unemployment used 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.

I'm not worried about the job market in June, 2020.

I'm worried about the job market in June, 2021.

Structural unemployment is the issue as companies realize they can do more, with less.

— Brian Sullivan (@SullyCNBC) June 5, 2020

Blacks college grads are suffering from unemployment rates that are painfully high compared to white counterparts: http://t.co/rqIi57FeHa

— Rachel Swarns (@rachelswarns) December 25, 2014

In some states, unemployment is up 4,577% from 2019 https://t.co/DAyZHbudsH pic.twitter.com/8aEiOql1dI

— Forbes (@Forbes) May 8, 2020

Try using unemployment!

Is unemployment used correctly in the following sentence?

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