underemployed

American  

[uhn-der-em-ploid] / ˌʌn dər ɛmˈplɔɪd /

adjective

1. employed at a job that does not fully use one's skills or abilities.

2. employed only part-time when one is available for full-time work.

3. not utilized fully.

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noun

1. underemployed workers collectively.

underemployed British  

/ ˌʌndərɪmˈplɔɪd /

adjective

1. not fully or adequately employed

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Usage

What does underemployed mean? Underemployed means employed only part-time when one wants to be working full-time.Someone who’s underemployed has a job and wants to be working more but can’t, often due to a lack of available jobs.The term is often used in the same context as unemployed, which means not employed at all. Both underemployed and unemployed are sometimes used to refer to such people collectively, as in These programs are intended to help the unemployed and underemployed. Less commonly, underemployed refers not to working less than desired but to not being used to one’s full potential or abilities. People who are overqualified for a job sometimes end up underemployed in this way.The state of being underemployed is underemployment.The verb employ also means to use, and underemployed can be used to describe something that’s not used as much as it should be, as in an underemployed strategy. Synonyms for this sense of the word are underused and underutilized.Example: The unemployment rate can be misleading if it doesn’t take into account the many people who are underemployed.

Other Word Forms

• underemployment noun

Etymology

Origin of underemployed

First recorded in 1905–10; under- + employ + -ed ²

Example Sentences

Brendan Fraser gives an endearingly heartfelt performance as an underemployed American actor who has lived in Japan for seven years and speaks its language.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 20, 2025

Even the measured percentage of “discouraged” and underemployed workers fell last month, as labor force participation increased overall.

From Slate • May 20, 2025

I think about my career and need to find work that gets me out of being constantly underemployed.

From Salon • Nov. 3, 2024

Erica Tay, an economist at Maybank Investment Banking Group, said that since China considers employment as working at least one hour per week, there’s no way to account for underemployed youth.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 25, 2024

Half the young men of that age group are either unemployed or underemployed.

From "Monster" by Walter Dean Myers

Related Words

• idle
• inactive
• jobless