em ‧ ploy ‧ ment S2 W1 /ɪmˈplɔɪmənt/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable]
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ employee , ↑ employer , ↑ employment ≠ ↑ unemployment , ↑ unemployed , ↑ employ ; adjective : employed ≠ ↑ unemployed , ↑ employable ≠ ↑ unemployable ; verb : ↑ employ ]
1 . the condition of having a paid job:
She was offered employment in the sales office.
terms and conditions of employment
employment opportunities/prospects
The employment prospects for science graduates are excellent.
Steve’s still looking for full-time employment.
the needs of women who combine paid employment and care for their families
in employment
21.7% of all those in employment were in part-time jobs.
2 . the act of paying someone to work for you
employment of
Mexican law prohibits the employment of children under 14.
3 . the number of people who have jobs OPP unemployment :
Nationwide employment now stands at 95%.
full employment (=a situation in which everyone has a job)
Many economists consider full employment an unrealistic goal.
4 . formal the use of a particular object, method, skill etc to achieve something
employment of
Was the employment of force justified?
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meanings 1, 2 & 3)
■ adjectives
▪ paid employment (=a job for which you receive money)
51% of women return to paid employment within 5 years of having a child.
▪ full-time/part-time employment
Mike is in full-time employment, but his wife is not working.
▪ permanent/temporary employment
university graduates entering permanent employment for the first time
▪ long-term/regular employment (=working for the same company for a long time)
She finally found regular employment at a hospital in York.
▪ continuous employment (=working all the time, without any periods being unemployed)
You can join the pension scheme after two years of continuous employment with the company.
■ verbs
▪ give/offer somebody employment
He was offered employment in the company’s main office.
▪ provide employment (=offer jobs to people)
The new power station will provide employment for around 400 people.
▪ create employment (=make new jobs)
The government is trying to stimulate the economy and create employment.
▪ find/get employment
The men hope to find employment in the construction industry.
▪ obtain/secure employment formal (=get employment)
He found it difficult to obtain employment because of his criminal record.
▪ look for employment ( also seek employment formal )
My son had to leave the farm and seek employment elsewhere.
■ employment + NOUN
▪ employment opportunities (=jobs that are available for people to apply for)
There are very few employment opportunities in the area.
▪ employment prospects (=someone’s chances of getting a job)
Better qualifications will improve your employment prospects.
▪ employment rights (=the rights that someone has in their job)
Part-time workers don’t have the same employment rights as full-time staff.
▪ employment levels (=the number of people employed in an area )
Employment levels in the region are above the national average.
▪ employment conditions ( also conditions of employment ) (=details about someone’s employment such as how much they are paid, how much holiday they get etc)
All workers have a right to a fair wage and decent conditions of employment.
▪ an employment contract ( also a contract of employment ) (=an official document stating the details about someone’s employment)
There is a clause in your employment contract covering holiday entitlement.
▪ employment terms ( also terms of employment ) (=the details about someone’s employment that are written in their employment contract, including rules that they must follow)
It’s in the terms of their employment that they can’t go on strike.
■ phrases
▪ loss of employment
Closure of the factory will lead to a substantial loss of employment.
▪ sb’s place of employment formal (=the building where they work)
They had a long journey to their place of employment.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ job noun [countable] the regular paid work that you do for an employer:
a full-time job
|
John got a job in a car factory.
▪ work noun [uncountable] activities that you are paid for doing – used either when you work for an employer or when you work in your own business:
I started work when I was 18.
|
He graduated from college last year and is still looking for work.
▪ profession noun [countable] a job for which you need special education and training:
There are now a lot more women in the legal profession.
|
Many teachers are leaving the profession.
▪ occupation noun [countable] formal a job, or a type of job – often used on official documents:
Please give your name, age, and occupation.
|
a traditionally male occupation
▪ career noun [countable] the work you do or plan to do for most of your life:
I’m interested in a career in journalism.
▪ position noun [countable] formal a particular job within an organization:
I am writing to apply for the position of technical assistant.
|
We regret that the position has already been filled.
|
Please state the position which you are applying for.
▪ post noun [countable] formal a job, especially an important one in a large organization:
She has held the post of managing director for two years.
|
He applied for the post of Senior Manager.
▪ vacancy/opening noun [countable] a job that is available for someone to do:
The hospital has been unable to fill the vacancy.
|
There are very few openings in scientific research.
▪ appointment noun [countable] an important job which someone is asked to do:
He took an appointment as US trade ambassador in Geneva.
▪ posting noun [countable] a situation in which someone is sent somewhere to do a job for a period of time by the organization they work for:
This was his first posting outside the UK.
|
an overseas posting
|
His next posting took him to the Ministry of Defence.
▪ trade noun [countable] a job that involves using your hands, and for which you need special training:
Most of the men had worked in skilled trades such as carpentry and printing.
▪ employment noun [uncountable] the fact of having a job:
The factory will provide employment for local people.
|
She was offered employment in the sales office.