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employability

American  
[em-ploi-uh-bil-i-tee] / ɛmˌplɔɪ əˈbɪl ɪ ti /

noun

  1. the fact, condition, or degree of being employable, especially in terms of work skills or readiness for the job market.


Explanation

A person's employability is anything that makes them able to get and keep a job. If nurses are in high demand, a nursing college might rightfully brag about the employability of its graduates. Employability comes from employ, or "hire for a job," and its Latin root, implicare, which means "to be connected with." Your employability is your ability to be employed, or to have paid work. In general, college graduates are thought of as having better employability, but it depends what kind of job they're trying to get. If you want to work as an electrician, your training and experience matter a lot more than your education, when it comes to employability!

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

"We work with families to help them out of poverty in addressing issues around housing or employability or, in some cases, addiction issues or childcare issues," he said.

From BBC Sep. 1, 2026

“If we can find ways to open up space for students to experiment while also protecting their future employability, which means protecting the GPAs, I think it is a good idea.”

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 11, 2026

In these three years, our exports have grown, helping increase added value in employability and economic development.

From Barron's May 14, 2026

"Anything that will get people back into work is welcome," said Mr Fathers, but he added that even "the very best campaigns around employability with disabled people have got about 5% more people into work".

From BBC May 28, 2025

Human capital is a person’s education, job credentials, and employability.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times

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