noun
unemployment
The state of being without work or the number of people in that state.
Unemployment rises as more factories close and workers lose jobs.
Etymology
The word names the absence of employment. It can describe an individual's condition or the collective scale of that condition in a population.
More examples
- She faces unemployment after the company shuts down.
- He applies for unemployment benefits while searching for work.
- The report shows a sharp drop in unemployment.
Forms
unemployed adjective — Not currently working in a paid job.
employment noun — The state of having paid work.
Similar words
- joblessness
- Names the same condition but is less common in official statistics.