What does reemploying mean?
Reemploying means employing a person again after their employment has ended, or putting something previously out of use back into service. The word is especially common in workplace, institutional, and public-service contexts, where it can emphasize the return of experienced former employees or the reuse of existing resources. For example, an organization might reemploy retired staff for a temporary project, while a manufacturer might reemploy machinery after a period of inactivity. The term is generally neutral and factual, although it can sometimes suggest that workers are being brought back because of a need to save time and training costs. It is also broader than simply hiring someone for a different job, since it implies that the person or resource has already been employed or used before.
verbTo employ someone or something again, especially after a period during which they were not employed.
- To employ someone again after they have ceased working for an employer.
- To put something, such as equipment or a resource, back into use.
"The company reemployed several former staff members when demand increased."
"The charity reemployed retired volunteers to help with its new community programme."
"The factory reemployed several machines that had been idle during the downturn."
Reemploying brings experienced workers back into service without losing the institutional knowledge they already have.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does reemploying come from?
The word is formed by the prefix re-, meaning “again,” joined to employ, which comes through Old French from the Latin implicare, “to involve or implicate.” The resulting form reemploy developed with the meaning “employ again.” Employee, employer, and employment belong to the same lexical family and share the Latin root.
Related word forms
How reemploying is actually used
The form is common in formal and workplace contexts. It can refer either to hiring former employees again or to returning equipment or other resources to active use.
Easily confused with reemploying
Reemploy means to take someone back into employment, whereas redeploy means to assign or move someone or something to a different role or location.