Definition

1. Noun:
   • The state of having paid work: "Employment" refers to the condition of being engaged in a job or occupation for which one receives payment.
   • The act of giving work to someone: It also denotes the action of hiring or engaging someone to perform a job.
   • The utilization of something: In a broader, more formal sense, it can mean the act of using something.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • She found employment as a software developer. (She obtained a paid job as a software developer.)
  • The new factory will provide employment for hundreds of people. (The new factory will give jobs to hundreds of people.)
  • The employment of advanced technology has improved efficiency. (The use of advanced technology has improved efficiency.)

Advanced Usage

• "In the employment of": Working for a particular person or organization.
  • He has been in the employment of the bank for twenty years. (He has worked for the bank for twenty years.)
• "Terms of employment": The conditions, such as salary and hours, under which someone is employed.
  • Please review the terms of employment before signing the contract. (Please review the job conditions before signing the contract.)

Variants and Related Words

• Employ (verb): To give someone a job; to use something.
  • The company plans to employ fifty new staff members.
• Employer (noun): A person or organization that hires people for wages.
  • My employer offers excellent benefits.
• Employee (noun): A person who works for another person or for a company for wages.
  • Every employee must attend the safety training.
• Unemployment (noun): The state of not having a paid job.
  • The rate of unemployment has decreased this quarter.

Synonyms

• Job: A paid position of regular employment.
• Work: Activity involving mental or physical effort done to achieve a purpose, especially as one's job.
• Occupation: A person's regular work or profession.
• Hiring: The action of employing someone.

Related Phrases

• Full-time employment: A job that requires working the number of hours considered standard for a full week (e.g., 35-40 hours).
  • She is seeking full-time employment after graduation.
• Part-time employment: A job that requires working fewer hours per week than a full-time job.
  • He balances his studies with part-time employment.
• Seek employment: To look for a job.
  • He moved to the city to seek employment.

Related Idioms

• Out of work: Unemployed, without a job.
  • He has been out of work since the factory closed.
• Gainful employment: Work that provides a good income.
  • The program helps people find gainful employment.

Noun

1. the act of using
   • he warned against the use of narcotic drugs
   • skilled in the utilization of computers
2. the act of giving someone a job
3. the occupation for which you are paid
   • he is looking for employment
   • a lot of people are out of work
4. the state of being employed or having a job
   • they are looking for employment
   • he was in the employ of the city