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full employment

British  

noun

  1. a state in which the labour force and other economic resources of a country are utilized to their maximum

"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

full employment Cultural  
  1. The condition that exists when all who want work can find jobs. Because some individuals will always be between jobs, full employment does not mean that one hundred percent of the workforce is employed. Rather, it is customarily defined as ninety-six percent of the total potential workforce.


Example Sentences

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According to supporters, Greenspan’s theories about full employment, rising incomes and only moderate inflation helped make life better for millions of Americans who hadn’t fully shared in previous bursts of economic prosperity.

From Los Angeles Times Jun. 22, 2026

For full employment, it means looking at unemployment’s deviation from estimates of the natural rate of unemployment.

From MarketWatch Jun. 19, 2026

Mainstream monetary economists for generations have operated on a theory—encapsulated by the Phillips Curve and its many iterations—that there exists a trade-off between full employment and price stability.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 18, 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

At first he nearly lost his eyes in astonishment at the rubbish and mockery brought forward to represent the beautiful; but he kept his eyes, and soon found full employment for them.

From Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen by Andersen, H. C. (Hans Christian)

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