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

Example Sentences

Tom has suffered some "quite serious illnesses" over the years, leading to him giving up full-time employment.

From BBC

Gig work, contract labor, informal employment, and multiple job-holding complicate headline payroll figures.

From Barron's

Nearly a decade later in 2010, employment records show he was contracted by Mission Essential, one of the largest companies that supplied interpreters in Afghanistan to Western forces.

From Los Angeles Times

I graduated with a joint degree in psychology and environmental studies—not ideal for employment.

From The Wall Street Journal

While inflation remains well above the Fed's two percent target, Powell and other policymakers have described the weakening employment market as the greater concern at the moment.

From Barron's

Related Words

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