structural unemployment

noun

1. unemployment caused by basic changes in the overall economy, as in demographics, technology, or industrial organization.

structural unemployment

noun

1. economics unemployment resulting from changes in the structure of an industry as a result of changes in either technology or taste

structural unemployment

1. Relatively long-lasting unemployment resulting from long-term shifts in economies and markets rather than short-term savings in economic conditions.

Structural unemployment tends to develop around major changes in an economy, such as the move from an industrial to a technological economy. Workers displaced by the decline of the old economy tend not to be trained in fields suitable for the new economy, so they remain out of work.

Word History and Origins

Origin of structural unemployment¹

First recorded in 1960–65