unemployable

American  

[uhn-em-ploi-uh-buhl] / ˌʌn ɛmˈplɔɪ ə bəl /

adjective

1. unsuitable for employment; unable to find or keep a job.

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noun

1. an unemployable individual.

unemployable British  

/ ˌʌnɪmˈplɔɪəbəl /

adjective

1. unable or unfit to keep a job

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Usage

What does unemployable mean? Unemployable most commonly means unsuitable for employment or unable to keep a job. The word employable generally means available and able to be hired for a job, especially for long-term employment, but usually also implies that a person is a desirable candidate for a job. Unemployable is the opposite of this. When a person is described as unemployable, it’s usually a very negative and often insulting statement about how they’re not fit to hold a job in any way. However, unemployable can also be used in a neutral way that means they’re not able to be hired for some reason, such as legal status or a lack of positions. Example: Most employers consider convicted felons unemployable, but we give people a second chance.

Other Word Forms

• unemployability noun

Etymology

Origin of unemployable

First recorded in 1885–90; un- ¹ + employable

Example Sentences

One can see the attraction for writers: the insular setting, the acceptance of eccentricity, the entrenchment of the otherwise unemployable, and the ease by which one can lampoon social trends.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026

Speaking to the Times, Ms Cabot said she is looking for another job but has been told she is "unemployable".

From BBC • Dec. 18, 2025

Defendants find themselves both unemployed and unemployable, blacklisted, bankrupt and broken.

From Salon • Aug. 25, 2025

Harkins claimed he was fired without warning, labeled a “traitor, cheater and a fraud” in the wake of news reports of his dismissal and is now unemployable.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 2, 2022

I could be a lawyer, or a teacher, or my worst fear, unemployable.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad