unemployment

noun

un·​em·​ploy·​ment ˌən-im-ˈplȯi-mənt How to pronounce unemployment (audio)
1
: the state of being unemployed : involuntary idleness of workers
also : the rate of such unemployment
2

Examples of unemployment in a Sentence

My unemployment lasted about six months. Unemployment has been increasing for months. The current unemployment rate is six percent.
Recent Examples on the Web While that reputation remains, the state has a less enviable distinction: one of the nation’s highest unemployment rates. Conor Dougherty, New York Times, 9 Mar. 2024 The unemployment rate rose last month in part because more people began looking for a job and didn’t immediately find one. Paul Wiseman, Quartz, 9 Mar. 2024 The unemployment rate rose last month in part because more people began looking for a job and didn't immediately find one. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 9 Mar. 2024 When the Fed began aggressively raising rates in March 2022 to fight the worst bout of inflation in four decades, a painful recession was widely predicted, with waves of layoffs and high unemployment. Paul Wiseman, Fortune, 8 Mar. 2024 Tax collectors are seeing less money withheld from Maryland residents’ paychecks than anticipated over the past three quarters, despite record-low unemployment, which suggests a strong labor market. Erin Cox, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024 The current jobless levels in California are far higher than the record-low unemployment rate of 3.8% in August 2022. George Avalos, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024 The January jobs report showed that the US economy added a stunning 353,000 jobs that month and the unemployment rate stayed at 3.7%. Krystal Hur, CNN, 8 Mar. 2024 The unemployment rate in the area is 2.6% up 0.6% from a year ago, but still very low. Ricardo Torres, Journal Sentinel, 28 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unemployment.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1789, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of unemployment was in 1789

Dictionary Entries Near unemployment

Cite this Entry

“Unemployment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unemployment. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

unemployment

noun
un·​em·​ploy·​ment ˌən-im-ˈplȯi-mənt How to pronounce unemployment (audio)
: the state of being out of work
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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