employment

[em-ploi-muhnt]

noun

1. an act or instance of employing someone or something.

2. the state of being employed; employ; service.

   to begin or terminate employment.

3. an occupation by which a person earns a living; work; business.

   Synonyms: profession, trade, job, calling, vocation

4. the total number of people gainfully employed or working.

5. an activity or the like that occupies a person's time.

   She found knitting a comforting employment for her idle hours.

employment

/ ɪmˈplɔɪmənt /

noun

1. the act of employing or state of being employed

2. the work or occupation in which a person is employed

3. the purpose for which something is used

Other Word Forms

• nonemployment noun
• overemployment noun
• proemployment adjective
• reemployment noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of employment¹

First recorded in 1585–95; employ + -ment

Example Sentences

A narrow majority supported at least two additional rate cuts this year, saying the balance of risks had shifted toward employment and that policy remained restrictive even after September’s first move.

Read more on Barron's

The American Federation of Government Employees and other unions plan to challenge the dismissals in court, citing violations of due process and long-standing federal employment protections.

Read more on Salon

The only economic sectors with job growth this year have been healthcare, government and education; these are not high-wage sectors that foster spin-offs and more employment.

Read more on MarketWatch

“There’s a panic over careers and employment,” she says.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

A student visa for Belarus, available in three weeks for 2.75 million CFA, sought-after tiling jobs in Dubai, and a three-month employment contract in Latvia are just some of the options on the list.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• business 
• contracting www.thesaurus.com
• enrollment 
• hiring www.thesaurus.com
• job 
• recruitment 
• service 
• trade 

When To Use

What does employment mean?

Employment most generally means the state of having a paid job—of being employed.To employ someone is to pay them to work. An employer provides employment to employees.Employment can also refer to the act of employing people, as in We’re working to increase our employment of women. Or it can refer to a person’s work or how they earn a living, as in What does he do for employment?In the context of economics, employment is commonly used to mean the total number of people employed, such as in a country, as in Employment is up this quarter, with thousands of new jobs having been created. The opposite of this is unemployment—the total number of people who are unemployed (who do not have a job). Unemployment also commonly means the state of being unemployed.Employ can also be used as a synonym of the verb use, and employment can be employed as a synonym of the noun use, as in The employment of artificial intelligence creates many ethical concerns. Example:In this economy, finding consistent employment is a challenge for many workers.