employment

English

Etymology

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.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɪmˈplɔɪmənt/, /ɛmˈplɔɪmənt/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

employment (countable and uncountable, plural employments)

1. The occupation or work for which one is used, and often paid.
   • 1893 February (date written), Henry B[enjamin] Wheatley, “Particulars of the Life of Samuel Pepys”, in Samuel Pepys, Mynors Bright, transcriber, edited by Henry B. Wheatley, The Diary of Samuel Pepys […], volume I, London: George Bell & Sons […]; Cambridge: Deighton Bell & Co., published 1893, →OCLC, page xxvii:

     [I]t is certaine no man sees more of the Navye's Transactions than himselfe [the Clerk of the Acts], and possibly may speak as much to the project if required, or else he is a blockhead, and not fitt for that imployment.

2. The act of employing.

   The personnel director handled the whole employment procedure

3. The state of being employed.
   • a. 1662 (date written), Thomas Fuller, “Cornwall”, in The History of the Worthies of England, London: […] J[ohn] G[rismond,] W[illiam] L[eybourne] and W[illiam] G[odbid], published 1662, →OCLC, page 202:

     […] King Henry [VIII] full fraught all thoſe vvith vvealth and revvards, vvhom he retained in his imployment.

   • 1853 November–December, Herman Melville, “Bartleby”, in Billy Budd and Other Stories, London: John Lehmann, published 1951, →OCLC:

     At the period just preceding the advent of Bartleby, I had two persons as copyists in my employment, and a promising lad as an office-boy.

4. A purpose, a use.
   • 1873, John Stuart Mill, Autobiography of John Stuart Mill:

     This new employment of his time caused no relaxation in his attention to my education.

5. An activity to which one devotes time.
6. (economics) The number or percentage of people at work.

Alternative forms

• imployment (obsolete)

Synonyms

• employ
• hire

Antonyms

• disemployment
• unemployment

Derived terms

• at-will employment, at will employment
• co-employment
• employment agency
• employment at will, employment-at-will
• employment contract
• employment history
• employment tribunal
• full employment
• outside employment
• overemployment
• self-employment
• underemployment
• written statement of employment

 

Related terms

• employ
• employable
• employed
• employee
• employer

 

Translations

occupation or work for which one is used, and often paid

• Armenian: աշխատանք (hy) (ašxatankʻ), գործ (hy) (gorc)
• Belarusian: пра́ца (be) f (práca), рабо́та f (rabóta), слу́жба f (slúžba), заня́цце n (zanjáccje)
• Bulgarian: слу́жба (bg) f (slúžba), ра́бота (bg) f (rábota)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 職業／职业 (zh) (zhíyè), 工作 (zh) (gōngzuò)

• Czech: zaměstnání (cs) n
• Danish: arbejde (da) n
• Dutch: emplooi (nl) n, werk (nl) n, benutting (nl) n
• Finnish: ansiotyö (fi)
• French: travail (fr) m, emploi (fr) m
• German: Arbeit (de) f
• Greek: εργασία (el) f (ergasía), δουλειά (el) f (douleiá)
• Hindi: नौकरी (hi) f (naukrī), काम (hi) m (kām)
• Hungarian: állás (hu), munkaviszony (hu)
• Irish: feidhmeannas m
• Italian: impiego (it) m
• Japanese: 職 (ja) (しょく, shoku), 職業 (ja) (しょくぎょう, shokugyō), 業務 (ja) (ぎょうむ, gyōmu), 仕事 (ja) (しごと, shigoto)
• Korean: 일자리 (ko) (iljari), 직업(職業) (ko) (jigeop)
• Latin: negōtium n
• Malayalam: ജോലി (ml) (jōli), തൊഴിൽ (ml) (toḻil), പണി (ml) (paṇi)
• Portuguese: emprego (pt) m, trabalho (pt) m, serviço (pt) m
• Russian: рабо́та (ru) f (rabóta), заня́тие (ru) n (zanjátije), слу́жба (ru) f (slúžba)
• Scottish Gaelic: cosnadh m, obair (gd) f
• Slovak: zamestnanie n
• Spanish: empleo (es) m
• Swahili: ajira (sw)
• Swedish: anställning (sv) c
• Ukrainian: заня́ття n (zanjáttja), робо́та (uk) f (robóta), пра́ця (uk) f (prácja), слу́жба (uk) f (slúžba)
• Urdu: نوکری f (naukrī), کام m (kām)
• Vietnamese: việc làm (vi)
• Welsh: cyflogaeth f

act of employing

• Belarusian: працаўладкава́нне n (pracaŭladkavánnje)
• Bulgarian: изпо́лзване (bg) n (izpólzvane)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 就業／就业 (zh) (jiùyè), 僱用／雇用 (zh) (gùyòng) or 僱傭／雇佣 (zh) (gùyōng), 雇用 (zh) (gùyòng)

• Danish: ansættelse c
• Dutch: aanwerving (nl), tewerkstelling (nl)
• Finnish: työllistäminen (fi)
• French: emploi (fr) m
• German: Anstellung (de) f
• Greek: πρόσληψη (el) f (próslipsi), εργοδοσία (el) f (ergodosía), εργοδότηση (el) f (ergodótisi)
• Hungarian: alkalmazás (hu)
• Ido: employo (io)
• Italian: assunzione (it) f
• Japanese: 雇用 (ja) (こよう, koyō)
• Korean: 사용(使用) (ko) (sayong), 고용(雇用) (ko) (goyong)
• Macedonian: вработување n (vrabotuvanje)
• Malayalam: നിയമനം (ml) (niyamanaṁ)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: sysselsetting m or f

  Nynorsk: sysselsetjing f, sysselsetting f

• Portuguese: emprego (pt) m
• Russian: трудоустро́йство (ru) n (trudoustrójstvo)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: запослење, запосленост

  Roman: zaposlenje (sh), zaposlenost (sh)

• Swedish: anställning (sv) c
• Turkish: hizmet (tr)
• Ukrainian: працевлаштува́ння (uk) n (pracevlaštuvánnja)

state of being employed

• Arabic: وَظِيفَة (ar) f (waẓīfa), تَوْظِيف m (tawẓīf)
• Belarusian: працаўладкава́нне n (pracaŭladkavánnje), за́нятасць f (zánjatascʹ)
• Bulgarian: занима́ние (bg) n (zanimánie), зае́тост (bg) f (zaétost)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 就業／就业 (zh) (jiùyè), 僱用／雇用 (zh) (gùyòng) or 僱傭／雇佣 (zh) (gùyōng), 雇用 (zh) (gùyòng)

• Czech: zaměstnání (cs) n
• Danish: beskæftigelse c, arbejde (da) n
• Dutch: tewerkstelling (nl)
• Finnish: työllistäminen (fi)
• French: emploi (fr) m
• Galician: emprego (gl) m
• German: Beschäftigung (de) f, Erwerbstätigkeit (de) f
• Greek: απασχόληση (el) f (apaschólisi), εργασία (el) f (ergasía)
• Hindi: नौकरी (hi) f (naukrī)
• Hungarian: alkalmazás (hu)
• Irish: fostaíocht f
• Japanese: 使われている状態 (つかわれているじょうたい, tsukawarete iru jōtai), 雇用 (ja) (こよう, koyō), 勤め (ja) (つとめ, tsutome), 勤務 (ja) (きんむ, kinmu)
• Korean: 고용(雇傭) (ko) (goyong), 근무(勤務) (ko) (geunmu)
• Macedonian: вработеност f (vrabotenost)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: sysselsetting m or f

  Nynorsk: sysselsetjing f, sysselsetting f

• Pashto: استخدام (ps) m (estexdãm)
• Persian: استخدام (fa) (estexdâm)
• Polish: zatrudnienie (pl) n
• Portuguese: emprego (pt) m
• Russian: трудоустро́йство (ru) n (trudoustrójstvo), за́нятость (ru) f (zánjatostʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: cosnadh m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: запослење, запосленост

  Roman: zaposlenje (sh), zaposlenost (sh)

• Slovak: zamestnanie n
• Slovene: zaposlitev f
• Swedish: anställning (sv) c
• Tajik: истихдом (istixdom)
• Ukrainian: працевлаштува́ння (uk) n (pracevlaštuvánnja), за́йнятість f (zájnjatistʹ)
• Urdu: نوکری f (naukrī)
• Vietnamese: việc làm (vi)

purpose, use

• Bulgarian: употре́ба (bg) f (upotréba)
• Danish: anvendelse c
• Dutch: benutting (nl), gebruik (nl) n, nut (nl) n, emplooi (nl) n
• French: emploi (fr) m
• Greek: χρήση (el) f (chrísi)
• Hungarian: felhasználás (hu), használat (hu), igénybevétel (hu), alkalmazás (hu)
• Isoko: fax
• Italian: impiego (it) m
• Japanese: 使うこと (つかうこと, tsukau koto), 使用 (ja) (しよう, shiyō)
• Korean: 사용(使用) (ko) (sayong), 이용(利用) (ko) (iyong)
• Latin: ūsus (la) m
• Malayalam: തൊഴിൽ (ml) (toḻil), ജോലി (ml) (jōli)
• Portuguese: emprego (pt) m
• Russian: примене́ние (ru) n (primenénije), испо́льзование (ru) n (ispólʹzovanije), употребле́ние (ru) n (upotreblénije)
• Swedish: användning (sv) c

activity to which one devotes time

• Belarusian: заня́цце n (zanjáccje)
• Bulgarian: занима́ние (bg) n (zanimánie)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 活動／活动 (zh) (huódòng)

• Danish: beskæftigelse c
• Dutch: emplooi (nl) n
• Greek: εργασία (el) f (ergasía), απασχόληση (el) f (apaschólisi)
• Hungarian: elfoglaltság (hu)
• Japanese: 仕事 (ja) (しごと, shigoto), 活動 (ja) (かつどう, katsudō)
• Korean: 일 (ko) (il), 활동(活動) (ko) (hwaldong)
• Russian: заня́тие (ru) n (zanjátije)
• Swedish: sysselsättning (sv) c
• Ukrainian: заня́ття n (zanjáttja)

number or percentage of people at work

• Belarusian: за́нятасць f (zánjatascʹ)
• Czech: zaměstnanost f
• Danish: beskæftigelsesgrad c
• Dutch: tewerkstellingsgraad (nl) (proportion), tewerkstellingscijfer (number)
• Finnish: työllisyys (fi)
• Hungarian: foglalkoztatás (hu), foglalkoztatottság (hu)
• Italian: occupazione (it) m
• Japanese: 就業人口 (しゅうぎょうじんこう, shūgyōjinkō)
• Korean: 취업률(就業率) (chwieomnyul), 고용 상황(雇傭狀況) (goyong sanghwang)
• Russian: за́нятость (ru) f (zánjatostʹ)
• Slovak: zamestnanosť f
• Swedish: sysselsättningsgrad (sv) c (proportion), sysselsättningstal n (number)
• Ukrainian: за́йнятість f (zájnjatistʹ)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• German: ^{(please verify)} Gebrauch (de), ^{(please verify)} Benützung