noun

employment

Paid work or the act of employing someone.

She finds steady employment at a local grocery store.

Etymology

The noun ending names the action or condition of employing. From putting someone’s services to use, employment came to mean both hiring and the paid work that results.

More examples

He seeks full-time employment with health insurance.
The factory provides employment for hundreds of local residents.
State law restricts the employment of young children.

Forms

employ verb — To hire someone to do paid work.

employee noun — A person paid to work for an employer.

Similar words

work: Can include unpaid activity, while employment involves paid work.
job: Usually names a particular paid position rather than employment generally.
hiring: Focuses on taking people on, not their ongoing work.