What does overemployment mean?
Overemployment is the condition of people working more hours, taking on too many responsibilities, or being employed at a greater intensity than they reasonably want or than is customary. It is especially relevant in discussions of hospitals, emergency services, education, and other sectors where workloads can affect safety and well-being. In labor economics, the term can also describe a situation in which there are more people available to work than there are jobs for them. The concept is therefore related to, but distinct from, unemployment: unemployment concerns the absence of work, whereas overemployment concerns the excessive amount of work or labor relative to workers’ needs, preferences, or available positions. The word is chiefly formal and technical, appearing in economic reports, public policy debates, and workplace research.
nounThe condition of being employed for more hours or at a greater intensity than is desirable or customary. In economic contexts, it can also refer to a situation in which the available labor supply exceeds the number of jobs.
- The state of being employed for more hours or at a greater intensity than is desirable or customary.
- The condition of a labor market in which the supply of workers exceeds the number of available jobs.
"Many employees reported overemployment because they were routinely required to work long beyond their contracted hours."
"Overemployment among junior doctors has become a serious concern in several hospitals."
"The report found that overemployment and underemployment were both widespread across the industry."
Pluralization is grammatically regular but uncommon; the term is normally used in the singular or in phrases such as widespread overemployment.
"The report described the overemployments of several regional hospitals as a sign of insufficient staffing."
Overemployment is the labor-market opposite of unemployment, yet it can also describe workers overwhelmed by too many hours on the job.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does overemployment come from?
Overemployment was formed by combining the prefix over- with employment, meaning the condition of having or taking work. Employment itself derives from the French word employ, which came from Latin implicare, meaning to involve or put into use, and ultimately from the Latin word for unfolding. The prefix over- has long been used in English to indicate an excessive amount, so overemployment literally denotes employment beyond a desired or customary limit.
How overemployment is actually used
The term is more common in economic, labor-market, and workplace-policy discussions than in everyday conversation. Its meaning can depend on context: it may describe excessive working hours for individuals or an excess of job seekers relative to available positions.
Easily confused with overemployment
Overemployment means people are working more than is wanted or customary, whereas underemployment means people are working fewer hours than they would like.
Unemployment means having no job, while overemployment means having too much work or, in an economic sense, too much available labor relative to available jobs.