employment

American  

[em-ploi-muhnt] / ɛmˈplɔɪ mənt /

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.

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employment British  

/ 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

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Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

• nonemployment noun
• overemployment noun
• proemployment adjective
• reemployment noun

Etymology

Origin of employment

First recorded in 1585–95; employ + -ment

Explanation

Employment is your occupation or the fact that you have a job. If you are looking for employment, you might start by attending a job fair — if you make a good impression, you might get hired immediately. If you have employment, it means you have a job. You can also use the noun employment to talk about exactly what that job involves, like your employment in the entertainment industry or in the carnival business. Employment also refers to the act of giving someone a job. The Latin root is the word implicare, meaning "enfold, involve, or be connected with."

Example Sentences

Members of Hollywood’s screenwriters’ union overwhelmingly approved a new contract with major studios, the latest step toward several years of possible labor peace in an industry where employment has cratered.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

By the end of 2024, gross domestic product was growing at a 2.5% annualized rate, the labor market was at full employment, and inflation appeared to be approaching the Fed’s 2% annual target.

From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026

The terms of the case, which was to have been heard at an employment tribunal in London, were not made public.

From BBC • Apr. 24, 2026

PCE inflation data for March and the first-quarter employment cost index are released on the same day, followed by the ISM survey on manufacturing activity in April on Friday.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

Mr. St. John had said nothing to me yet about the employment he had promised to obtain for me; yet it became urgent that I should have a vocation of some kind.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

Related Words

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