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employment

n. uncountable
B1 Intermediate Oxford US //ɛmˈpɫɔɪmənt// UK //ɛmplˈɔɪmənt// em·ploy·ment General-service

n. the state of having a paid job. It also refers to the act of hiring someone to do work.

n. the state of being hired or having a paid job; the act of engaging someone for work. Often used in economic contexts to describe the total number of people working in a population.


SIMPLE

She is looking for full-time employment after finishing university.

CONTEXTUAL

The local factory provides employment for hundreds of people in the small town.

COMPLEX

Economists are closely monitoring the latest employment figures to determine if the recent tax incentives have successfully stimulated job growth in the manufacturing sector.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Origin

From employ (itself from Middle French employer, from Middle French empleier, from Latin implicō (“enfold, involve, be connected with”), itself from in- + plicō (“fold”)) + -ment.

Usage

Commonly used in the abstract sense to describe the state of working; when referring to specific jobs, 'jobs' or 'positions' is preferred.

Pitfall

He has three employmentsHe has three jobsEmployment is uncountable when referring to the state of having work; use 'jobs' for countable positions.

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