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Glite Dictionary
worklessness

worklessness

6.8
A time without a job or paid work
  • noun
  • /ˈwɜrk.ləs.nəs/
translation icon : desempleo
  • A culture of worklessness becomes entrenched when young people can leave school and go straight onto the dole with nothing expected in return.

Examples

  • Worklessness is a major challenge in London, with about one in three Londoners—1.6 million people—out of work (including students).

    Academic text (2010)

  • You might have missed it, but we've been in a massive unemployment, underemployment, and worklessness crisis for a very long time.

    Blog text (11)

  • It argued it will need to encompass those aged between 16 and 75 and in work, those with a higher risk of falling into worklessness, those with pre-existing conditions known to affect fitness to work, those with an increased prevalence of chronic disease (especially the over-50s), and those working in smaller businesses.

    Academic text (2012)

  • Many young adults are facing worklessness after graduating due to a lack of available jobs.

  • The government is implementing new programs to reduce worklessness and help people find employment.

  • High rates of worklessness can lead to increased poverty and social issues in communities.

Synonyms

unemployment
vsworklessness
673 2.3

A time when people do not have paid jobs and look for work

covers lack of work whether or not someone is actively looking
joblessness
vsworklessness
9 3.4

A situation when people do not have paid work

has the same basic sense but uses another common label
nonemployment
vsworklessness
5.3

Not having a paid job, often when not looking for work

has identical meaning but uses slightly different wording

Antonyms

work
∞ 1.0

Effort people use to do a job or task

employment
403 2.1

Having a paid job

Surface Forms

worklessness singular
worklessnesses plural

Morphology

worklessness = workless (transparent) = work + less + ness

Formed from the adjective 'workless' (work + -less) with the noun-forming suffix '-ness', and the meaning 'state of not having work' follows directly from the components.

Etymology

Worklessness is built from work plus -less ('without') and -ness ('state'), so it means the 'state of being without work'. A helpful way to remember it is to think of words like 'hopeless' or 'homeless', where -less also shows that something is missing.