Skip to main content Skip to Search Box

Definition: unemployment from Collins English Dictionary

n

1 the condition of being unemployed

2 the number of unemployed workers, often as a percentage of the total labour force


Unemployment

From Cultural Sociology of Mental Illness: An A-to-Z Guide
In the United States and other countries, rates of unemployment have increased during the economic downturn in the early part of the 21st century. Thus, unemployment remains a serious economic problem. It is also a major public health issue. An extensive body of literature has revealed that unemployment is associated with mental health problems. Studies on mental health usually measure unemployment status by including those who are seeking jobs and those who are “out of the labor force” and not looking for work. There is a difference, however, between involuntary and voluntary unemployment. Those who chose to be out of the paid labor force for different reasons, such as attending school, focusing on being a parent, and keeping house are considered voluntarily unemployed. Those who are actively looking for employment and are unable to succeed are involuntarily unemployed. Does unemployment when looking for a job and being “out of the labor force” when not seeking work have distinct…
8,179 results

Full text Article Welfare as we know it now: 6 questions answered (Mar. 2018)

From The Conversation: An Independent Source of Analysis from Academic Researchers
President Donald Trump’s proposed budget would slice US$21.7 billion over a decade, or 13.1 percent, from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) – what’s left of basic welfare for families facing economic hardship. To justify this cut and an across-the-board reduction in antipoverty…
| 970 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article Fact Check: does immigration have an impact on wages or employment? (Mar. 2018)

From The Conversation: An Independent Source of Analysis from Academic Researchers
When I was business secretary there were up to nine studies that we looked at that took in all the academic evidence. It showed that immigration had very little impact on wages or employment. But this was suppressed by the Home Office under Theresa May, because the results were inconvenient. Vince…
| 865 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article unemployment

From Cambridge Dictionary of Sociology
A major topic of social research during periods of mass unemployment in the twentieth century, unemployment arose with the growth of dependency on waged employment. It involves exclusion from paid employment but definitions and measurement remain contentious. The International Labour Organization…
| 601 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article unemployment

From The Penguin Dictionary of Sociology
A person is unemployed if he or she is eligible for work but does not have a job. He or she may be voluntarily unemployed (i.e. have chosen not to work), or involuntarily unemployed (i.e. be willing to work but unable to find a job). Involuntary unemployment is what most people have in mind when…
| 745 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article unemployment

From Collins Dictionary of Business
the non-utilization of part of the economy's available labour (and capital) resources. Because idle resources lead to a loss of potential output to the economy and the divisive social effects of unemployment, most governments accord a high priority to the achievement of a high level of employment in…
| 538 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article Unemployment

From World of Sociology, Gale
A young woman applies for unemployment...
The term “unemployment” applies to anyone who is capable of working and desires to work but cannot find work. Those people who are retired, ill, do not wish to work, or attend school are not classified as part of the labor force or counted in the national unemployment rate. This concept of…
| 362 words , 1 image
Key concepts:

Full text Article unemployment

From Philip's Encyclopedia
Inability of workers who are ready, able and willing to work to find employment. Unemployment is usually expressed as a percentage of the labour force. Cyclical unemployment exists when the level of aggregate demand in the economy is less than that required to maintain full employment. Structural…
| 123 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article UNEMPLOYMENT

From The Reader's Companion to American History
The problem of unemployment appeared in the United States only in the nineteenth century. Although there had long been men and women who were involuntarily jobless and traditional rhythms of labor were unsteady in many trades, the modern phenomenon of unemployment was the child of industrial…
| 1,290 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article unemployment

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
condition of one who is able to work but unable to find work. Once assumed to be voluntary, idleness was punishable by law; however it is now recognized that unemployment often arises from factors beyond the control of the individual worker. Unemployment may be due to seasonal layoffs (e.g., in…
| 687 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article UNEMPLOYMENT

From International Encyclopedia of Marriage and Family
Unemployment is widely regarded as a major social and economic global problem. When referring to someone as unemployed, most people have in mind a state consistent with the International Labour Office's (ILO) definition, namely a person who does not have a job, is available for work, and is actively…
| 3,596 words
Key concepts:
Mind Map

Stack overflow
More Library Resources