Meaning of unemployment in English

unemployment

noun [ U ]

/ˌʌn.ɪmˈplɔɪ.mənt/ us

/ˌʌn.ɪmˈplɔɪ.mənt/

Add to word list Add to word list

the number of people who do not have a job that provides money:

unemployment falls/rises Unemployment has fallen/risen again for the third consecutive month.

the state of being unemployed

→ unemployment benefit

More examplesFewer examples

Over half his speech was devoted to the issue of unemployment.
The problems of poverty, homelessness and unemployment are all interconnected.
We are firmly committed to reducing unemployment.
long-term unemployment
These decisions have had to be taken against a background of high unemployment.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Unemployment

See more results »

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Types of employment

Social security & state benefits

Grants & allowances

(Definition of unemployment from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

unemployment | American Dictionary

unemployment

noun [ U ]

/ˌʌn·ɪmˈplɔɪ·mənt/

Add to word list Add to word list

social studies

the situation of not having a job that provides money, or the number of people in this situation at any time:

high/low unemployment

The unemployment rate was 4 percent in October.

(Definition of unemployment from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

unemployment | Business English

unemployment

noun [ U ]

/ˌʌnɪmˈplɔɪmənt/ us

Add to word list Add to word list

ECONOMICS, WORKPLACE

the number or percentage of people in a country or area who do not have jobs:

In the hardest hit areas, unemployment stands at around 14%.

Youth unemployment among those between 16 and 19 remains high.

The Office for National Statistics said the "claimant count" measure of unemployment dropped by 5,500 last month.

an area of low/high unemployment

unemployment figures/levels/statistics

widespread/rising/growing unemployment

unemployment rises/soars/climbs In Arkansas, the state's unemployment rose from 4.1% in December to 4.3% in January.

unemployment falls/drops/decreases Unemployment is dropping fastest in the north of the country.

level/rate of unemployment Unofficial estimates put the level of unemployment in the region at around 10%.

rise/increase/decline in unemployment Further increases in unemployment are expected.

reduce/cut/tackle unemployment Helping people out of poverty involves ensuring they have the right skills to compete in the labour market, as well as tackling unemployment.

unemployment remains low/high/steady Fed forecasts are that unemployment will remain low at about 4.75%.

a situation in which someone does not have a job:

Fear of unemployment is driving homeowners to trade down as a safety measure against the chance of tough times ahead.

a period/spell of unemployment Periods of unemployment are an inevitable feature of modern working life.

Welfare discrimination plunges thousands of young people into a cycle of homelessness, unemployment and poverty.

US informal

money that the government pays regularly to unemployed people who are looking for jobs:

If your contract is terminated, insist that your bosses give you a letter confirming that you can claim unemployment.

Examples of unemployment

unemployment

We also make the assumption that there is unemployment and therefore no extra cost for recruiting labor.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

If that is too high, then competitiveness will be reduced and, unless wages fall, unemployment will increase.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

However, the main campaign issue was on promoting economic development and reducing the high unemployment rate.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The only conclusion that remains totally valid relates to unemployment.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Many theoretical and empirical papers provide support for the inclusion of some unemployment persistence in a macroeconomic model.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Unlike old age or unemployment insurance, workers' compensation provided not just income support but also medical benefits.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

For the same reason, however, it may be difficult to make this approach the centrepiece of a constructive nation-wide youth unemployment policy.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

First, a dummy variable was introduced to account for the effects of the release of the unemployment rate and the index of leading economic indicators.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

This economic strategy aimed at achieving high growth rates, increasing investment, and reducing unemployment in the economy.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Including in the model only one economic indicator at a time did not alter the general results, but the effect of unemployment was even stronger.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Consequently, only the two most discussed economic variables in the literature - unemployment and inflation - are included.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Sudden increases in unemployment, however, promote uncertainty even for those enjoying high employment protection.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

In all these countries unemployment and austerity measures dominated the elections.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The conditions for testing the unemployment trap theorem are easily formulated.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The unemployed wished for more financing for unemployment benefits and social assistance and single parents claimed more financing of child benefits and family benefits.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

See all examples of unemployment

These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

What is the pronunciation of unemployment?

Translations of unemployment

in Chinese (Traditional)

失業人數, 失業率, 失業（狀態）…

Meaning of unemployment in English

unemployment | American Dictionary

unemployment | Business English

See also

Examples of unemployment

Translations of unemployment

Browse

Learn more with +Plus

Learn more with +Plus