structural unemployment

noun

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

Origin of structural unemployment

First recorded in 1960–65

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British Dictionary definitions for structural unemployment

structural unemployment

noun

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

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

structural unemployment in Culture

structural unemployment

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

Note

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.