unemployment
Americannoun
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the state of being unemployed, especially involuntarily.
Automation poses a threat of unemployment for many unskilled workers.
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the number of persons who are unemployed.
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Informal. unemployment benefit.
noun
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the condition of being unemployed
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the number of unemployed workers, often as a percentage of the total labour force
Usage
What does unemployment mean? Unemployment is the state of not having a paid job—of being unemployed.Unemployment is also commonly used in the context of economics to mean the total number of people unemployed, such as in a country, as in Unemployment is down this quarter, with thousands of new jobs having been created. The opposite of this is employment—the total number of people who are employed. Employment also commonly means the state of being employed.The word unemployment is sometimes used as a short and informal way of referring to an unemployment benefit, which is an allowance of money paid to unemployed workers, such as by the government. People receiving such a benefit are often said to be receiving unemployment.Example: Unemployment is extremely stressful when you go months without any job prospects.
Other Word Forms
- antiunemployment adjective
Etymology
Origin of unemployment
First recorded in 1885–90; un- 1 + employment
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The unemployment rate for computer science majors has climbed to 7%.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026
The decline in the unemployment rate to 4.3% from 4.4% in February came about largely because fewer people were seeking work.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
There was also a slight dent in the unemployment rate, from 4.4 percent to 4.3 percent.
From Slate • Apr. 3, 2026
There’s a disconnect between low unemployment rates and worker sentiment, said Nela Richardson, chief economist at ADP.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026
During the 1990s, the unemployment rate fell by 2 percentage points; nonviolent crime, meanwhile, fell by roughly 40 percent.
From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
