What does employment mean?
Employment refers primarily to the state of having paid work — the condition of holding a job and earning wages or salary for one's labor. In everyday use it covers both the abstract state (being 'in employment' versus out of it) and the concrete relationship between an employer and the person they employ. The word also carries a second, older sense: the act of employing or putting something to use, as in the employment of new technology. Employment is a neutral, somewhat formal term that dominates official, legal, economic, and statistical writing — phrases like 'employment rates', 'gainful employment', and 'terms of employment' appear constantly in news and policy contexts. In casual conversation, speakers tend to say 'a job' or 'work' instead. Its connotations are generally positive when paired with words like 'full' or 'steady', signaling security and stability. Etymologically it descends through Old French from the Latin implicare, meaning to involve or engage, which neatly captures how employment still implies being engaged in another's service or enterprise.
The state of having paid work; a job or occupation.
"The factory provides employment for over three hundred workers."
Often used with adjectives such as 'full-time', 'permanent', or 'gainful'.
The act of employing someone, or of using something for a purpose.
"The report criticized the employment of outdated methods."
This older sense is less common today but persists in formal writing.
Rarely used in the plural; the noun normally functions as an uncountable mass noun. A plural appears only in specialized or archaic contexts referring to multiple instances of use or engagement.
"His various employments over the years ranged from teaching to farming."
The word employment traces back to the Latin 'implicare' — to entangle or enfold — so being employed originally meant being wrapped up in someone's business.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of employment
Employment entered English in the early 17th century, derived from the verb employ, which came into English via Old French emploier from the Latin implicare, meaning 'to enfold, entangle, or involve'. This Latin root combines in- ('in') with plicare ('to fold'), making employment etymologically a cousin of words like deploy, employ itself, and related folding-words such as ply and plait. Over time the sense narrowed from general 'use or engagement' toward its modern dominance: the condition of having paid work.
How employment is actually used
A formal, neutral term common in economics, law, and official contexts; in casual speech people more often say 'job' or 'work'.
Easily confused with employment
Employment means having paid work, while unemployment is the state of not having a job.