unemployment

Meanings

1. 1noununcountable

   The situation of having no paid job although you are able and ready to work.

   Grammar: No plural: he is in unemployment is rare; say he is unemployed.

   Patterns

   • unemployment among something
   • be on unemployment

   Unemployment among young people rose last year.

   After the factory closed, unemployment in the town doubled.

   He worried that long unemployment would make it harder to find work.

2. 2noununcountabletechnical

   The number or share of people in a country or area who have no job and want one.

   Grammar: Often used with rate or figures: the unemployment rate.

   Patterns

   • unemployment rate
   • unemployment figures

   The unemployment rate fell to four percent.

   The new figures show unemployment is still high in rural areas.

   The government promised to cut unemployment by creating jobs.

3. 3noununcountableAmericaninformal

   Money paid by the government to people without a job.

   Grammar: American informal use; British people say unemployment benefit.

   Patterns

   • collect unemployment
   • be on unemployment

   He collected unemployment for three months while looking for work.

   She applied for unemployment after her company shut down.

   Many families lived on unemployment during the recession.

Common combinations

unemployment rate

The unemployment rate dropped slightly this month.

high unemployment

High unemployment hurt the local economy.

youth unemployment

Youth unemployment is a serious concern in the region.

unemployment benefit

Unemployment benefit helps people while they look for a new job.

rising unemployment

Rising unemployment worried economists.

reduce unemployment

The plan aims to reduce unemployment in the city.

Synonyms and how they differ

joblessness

Joblessness is the plain state of being without work, and sounds less technical than unemployment.

idleness

Idleness suggests not working by choice or laziness, while unemployment means lacking a job despite wanting one.

redundancy

Redundancy is the British term for losing a job because it is no longer needed, a narrower cause than unemployment.

layoffs

Layoffs are the cuts that cause people to lose jobs, while unemployment describes the lasting situation afterward.

Opposites

Word family

unemployed adjective

without a paid job

employ verb

to give someone paid work

employment noun

the state of having paid work

employee noun

a person who works for pay

employer noun

a person or company that pays people to work

Commonly confused: unemployment or unemployed?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “unemployment”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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