n. The level of joblessness in an economy, often measured as a percentage of the workforce.
n. A type of joblessness due to a particular economic mechanism.
n. An instance or period of joblessness.
the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
n. Quality or state of being not employed; -- used esp. in economics, of the condition of various social classes when temporarily thrown out of employment, as those engaged for short periods, those whose trade is decaying, and those least competent.
The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
n. The condition of being unemployed; the state of being unused.
WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
n. the state of being unemployed or not having a job
Word Usage
"The increase in unemployment is due to the auto makers and their many thousands of related industrial jobs that depend on the auto industry returning to fiscal stability."