employment

employment — noun

1. the state of having a paid job with an organization, including the conditions, p

1.nounB1
Definition

the state of having a paid job with an organization, including the conditions, pay, and arrangements that go with it

Example

The company offers health insurance and paid leave as part of its standard employment package.

employment + noun modifier: employment package

Eli signed an employment contract that clearly stated his salary, working hours, and holiday entitlement.

collocation: employment contract

Common collocations
  • employment contract
  • employment package
  • employment conditions
  • terms of employment
  • employment rights
  • employment history
Synonyms
  • work

    broader term; 'work' can be paid or unpaid, while 'employment' implies a paid arrangement

  • service

    more formal, often used in legal or official contexts ('years of service')

Grammar Patterns

employment + noun (modifier)

in employment

terms of employment

Usage Note

Frequently used as a modifier before another noun, e.g. 'employment contract', 'employment rights', 'employment history'.

Common Mistakes

I have a good employment at a bank.
I have a good job at a bank.
'employment' describes the state of being paid to work, not a specific job position.

2. the situation of having paid work that provides you with an income

2.nounB1
Definition

the situation of having paid work that provides you with an income

Example

Élise finally found employment at a local hospital after six months of searching.

verb + employment: found employment

Hamza is seeking full-time employment in the renewable energy sector.

collocation: full-time employment / seeking employment

Common collocations
  • find employment
  • seek employment
  • gain employment
  • full-time employment
  • part-time employment
  • permanent employment
  • temporary employment
Synonyms
  • work

    more general; can include unpaid activities such as housework

  • occupation

    more formal, refers to the type of work a person does regularly

Antonyms
  • unemployment

    the state of not having a paid job while seeking one

Grammar Patterns

find employment

seek employment

in employment

Usage Note

Uncountable — you cannot say 'an employment' or 'employments'. Instead use 'a job' for a countable position.

Common Mistakes

She has two employments.
She has two jobs.
'employment' is uncountable and cannot be pluralized.

3. applying a particular tool, method, or skill to achieve a specific result

3.nounB2
Definition

applying a particular tool, method, or skill to achieve a specific result

Example

The employment of advanced robotics has greatly improved the factory's safety record.

the employment of [technology/tool]

Critics questioned the employment of such aggressive tactics in the marketing campaign.

the employment of [method/strategy]

Common collocations
  • the employment of
  • employment of technology
  • employment of methods
  • employment of resources
Synonyms
  • use

    less formal, more common in everyday speech and writing

  • application

    emphasizes putting knowledge or theory into practice

Grammar Patterns

the employment of + noun (tool/method/strategy)

Usage Note

This sense is formal and often appears in academic, technical, or professional writing. The structure is almost always 'the employment of + [thing being used]'.

Common Mistakes

The employment of a computer is easy.
Using a computer is easy.
This sense of 'employment' sounds overly formal for everyday situations. Use 'use' or 'using' instead.

4. the number of people in a country or area who have paid work, considered as a me

4.nounB2
Definition

the number of people in a country or area who have paid work, considered as a measure of how well the economy is performing

Example

The government announced a new plan to boost employment in rural areas.

verb + employment: boost employment

Employment in the manufacturing sector has dropped by nearly fifteen percent over five years.

employment in [sector]

Common collocations
  • employment rate
  • employment levels
  • employment growth
  • full employment
  • boost employment
  • employment figures
  • employment in [sector]
Synonyms
  • job market

    focuses on the demand for and supply of workers rather than the statistical measure

  • labor force participation

    more specific economic term that includes unemployed people actively seeking work

Antonyms
  • unemployment

    the number of people actively looking for work but unable to find it

Grammar Patterns

employment rate

employment levels

full employment

Usage Note

Common in news, policy discussions, and economic reports. Often appears alongside terms like 'unemployment', 'inflation', and 'GDP'.

5. the process of taking on workers by offering them paid positions in an organizat

5.nounB2
Definition

the process of taking on workers by offering them paid positions in an organization

Example

Dahlia was responsible for the employment of over thirty seasonal workers each summer.

the employment of [number] + [workers]

The employment of five new engineers will strengthen the research team's capacity.

Common collocations
  • the employment of
  • employment of staff
  • employment of workers
  • recruitment and employment
  • conditions of employment
Synonyms
  • hiring

    less formal, more common in everyday business language

  • recruitment

    emphasizes the active process of finding and attracting candidates

Antonyms
  • dismissal

    the act of ending someone's employment

  • redundancy

    the act of removing jobs when they are no longer needed

Grammar Patterns

the employment of + number of people

employment of + workers/staff

Usage Note

Overlaps with 'hiring' but sounds more formal. Often used in HR documents, company policies, and legal contexts.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

Employment, work, job, occupation, and career all relate to paid activity, but they differ in scope and formality. Employment (uncountable) refers to the state of having paid work — you talk about 'finding employment' or 'being in employment.' Work is the broadest term: it covers both paid and unpaid activity ('housework,' 'volunteer work'), which employment does not. Job is countable and refers to a specific position — 'She has a job as a nurse.' Occupation is more formal and appears on official forms or documents to describe the kind of work someone does regularly. Career emphasizes long-term progression within a field, not just a single position. For example: 'Her job as a receptionist was just a stepping stone; her real career was in publishing.' Use employment when talking about the abstract state of being paid to work (especially in official or economic contexts), and job when referring to a specific position.

employment ↗work ↗job ↗occupation ↗career ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • employment agency
  • employment lawyer
  • employment contract
  • employment office
  • employment tribunal

Phrases

  • terms and conditions of employment
  • contract of employment
  • letter of employment

Prepositions

  • in employment
  • out of employment
  • during employment
  • after employment

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word employment comes from the Old French verb emploier, meaning 'to make use of' or 'to involve.' This traces further back to the Latin verb implicare, which meant 'to enfold' or 'to involve' (formed from in- 'in' + plicare 'to fold'). The meaning shifted over time from 'to involve someone in a task' to 'to give someone paid work.' The noun employment emerged in the 15th century, originally referring to the act of using something before taking on its modern meaning of paid work and occupation.