Unemployment

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Unemployment \Un`em*ploy"ment\, n.
     Quality or state of being not employed; -- used esp. in
     economics, of the condition of various social classes when
     temporarily thrown out of employment, as those engaged for
     short periods, those whose trade is decaying, and those least
     competent.


  
     Note: Unemployment is usually cointed as the condition of
           those who wish to work, but cannot find a suitable job,
           rather than others who may voluntarily refrain from
           working, such as retired persons, youth, or those
           remaining at home to care for young children. The
  
     {unemployment rate} in economics is thus the proportion of
        those actively seeking work but unable to find it, to the
        total labor force, expressed as a percentage.
        [Webster 1913 Suppl. +PJC]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  unemployment
       n : the state of being unemployed or not having a job;
           "unemployment is a serious social evil"; "the rate of
           unemployment is an indicator of the health of an economy"
           [ant: {employment}]