unemployment benefit

noun

1. an allowance of money paid, usually weekly, to an unemployed worker by a state or federal agency or by the worker's labor union or former employer during all or part of the period of unemployment.

unemployment benefit

noun

1. (in Britain, formerly) a regular payment to a person who is out of work: replaced by jobseeker's allowance in 1996 Informal termdole
2. (in New Zealand) a means-tested monetary benefit paid weekly by the Social Security Department to the unemployed

Word History and Origins

Origin of unemployment benefit¹

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

Unpaid, they could apply for unemployment benefit, although many had difficulty getting it.

From Seattle Times

If each person received the maximum unemployment benefit of $1,019 each week, for four weeks, the state’s fund would have to pay out $122 million.

From Seattle Times

The discussion about the unemployment benefit hike is “very odd,” given that the preceding increase was small and the next one probably will be too, Scholz said.

From Washington Times

The five-year statute of limitations on unemployment benefit fraud also begins to toll, meaning some of the earliest instances of people who stole from the government’s generous support program will also be free from legal jeopardy.

From Washington Times

The Labor Department’s pandemic-era “first week” unemployment benefit program has been shut down for two years, but the department is still hoarding nearly $5 billion in cash that never got spent.

From Washington Times