unemployment

Everyday

1. Unemployment is when people who want a job and can work cannot find one. tree →
2. Unemployment is also the number or share of people in a country who have no job but are looking for one. tree →
3. (US, Canada) «Unemployment» can mean money from the government for people who lost their job, as in «he's on unemployment». tree →

In the lessons

In citizenship, money and history lessons, unemployment shows how jobs affect families and countries; when many factories close, unemployment goes up. News reports give unemployment as a percentage. In family stories, a parent's unemployment can bring worry about money and changes at home, and children can help by being kind and patient. Phrases: «unemployment rate», «high unemployment», «unemployment benefit», «on unemployment».

Examples

• Unemployment went up when the steelworks closed. tree →
• The unemployment rate fell to four per cent. tree →
• Dad was out of work for months, and unemployment made things tight at home. tree →
• The government helps people during unemployment with benefits. tree →
• In the old story, unemployment meant long queues for food. tree →
• Training new skills can help people out of unemployment. tree →
• The news said unemployment is lower in the south. tree →

Note

Uncountable: say «unemployment is high», not «unemployments». «Unemployed» is the adjective (an unemployed worker). In maths, the unemployment rate = the number of unemployed people divided by everyone who could work, times 100, as a percentage. People who are retired or at school are not counted as unemployed.