make-work

American  

[meyk-wurk] / ˈmeɪkˌwɜrk /

noun

1. work, usually of little importance, created to keep a person from being idle or unemployed.

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make-work Cultural  

1. Publicly provided employment that is designed primarily to relieve unemployment and only incidentally to accomplish important tasks. If private employers are hiring few people because of a business slump, the government can “make work” for people to do.

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Etymology

Origin of make-work

1935–40, noun use of verb phrase make work

Example Sentences

Only this group included his wife, his brother and his personal lawyer, the latter two having been given some kind of make-work jobs at the Pentagon.

From Salon • Apr. 21, 2025

He’s a 56-year-old social media influencer who also has a make-work job as Hungary’s ambassador to the Holy See.

From Slate • Apr. 21, 2023

Through the 1990s he was given make-work tasks, like assessing the environmental impact of space rockets.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 9, 2021

The truth is, the State Department, like every other executive department, suffers from redundancies and make-work jobs.

From Washington Post • Jul. 6, 2017

And the worst thing was that even with our make-work projects, we didn’t really have enough to do.

From "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" by Robert C. O'Brien