employable
C1Formal to neutral
Definition
Meaning
Able and suitable to be hired for paid work.
Having the necessary skills, qualifications, or personal qualities that make someone a good candidate for employment; can also refer to an idea, product, or skill that makes one more likely to get a job.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primarily used as an adjective describing a person's job-market readiness. It implies a combination of skills, attitude, and sometimes physical/mental fitness for work.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in core meaning or usage.
Connotations
In both, it can have a slightly bureaucratic or HR-oriented feel.
Frequency
Similar frequency in both varieties, common in career advice, CV/résumé writing, and policy documents.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
BE employableMAKE someone employableCONSIDER someone employableVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “[no common idioms]”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Used in HR to assess candidate pools and in discussions about workforce development.
Academic
Used in sociology, economics, and education research discussing labour market outcomes.
Everyday
Used in career advice, e.g., 'This course will make you more employable.'
Technical
Can be a formal classification in social welfare or unemployment benefit systems.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- N/A
American English
- N/A
adverb
British English
- N/A
American English
- N/A
adjective
British English
- The training scheme aims to make young people more employable.
- Despite his age, his IT skills keep him highly employable.
American English
- A college degree alone doesn't guarantee you're employable.
- Soft skills are crucial for remaining employable in a changing economy.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- He is looking for a job. He wants to be employable.
- Learning English makes you more employable in many countries.
- She took a computer course to become more employable.
- The university's reputation ensures its graduates are highly employable.
- To stay employable, professionals must engage in continuous learning.
- The government's new policy focuses on rendering the long-term unemployed employable again.
- His lack of interpersonal skills ultimately rendered him less employable than his technically proficient peers.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: EMPLOY + ABLE = ABLE to be EMPLOYed.
Conceptual Metaphor
EMPLOYABILITY IS A COMMODITY (something you can acquire, increase, or sell).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid confusing with 'занятой' (busy). 'Employable' is about potential, not current status.
- Do not translate directly as 'используемый' (usable). It's specifically about job suitability.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'employable' to mean 'currently employed' (e.g., *'He is employable at a bank.' - Incorrect).
- Confusing 'employable' (adjective) with 'employment' (noun).
Practice
Quiz
In which context is the word 'employable' LEAST likely to be used?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
'Employability' is the main abstract noun, referring to the state or quality of being employable.
Rarely. Its primary use is for people. Sometimes it can describe a skill (e.g., 'an employable skill'), but this still relates to a person's job prospects.
It is a positive assessment in a professional context, but it is more functional than personal. It means 'suitable for work,' not necessarily 'talented' or 'good.'
'Employable' describes the potential or suitability to get a job. 'Employed' means currently having a job. You can be employable but unemployed, and vice versa (though less common).