employed
B1Neutral formal, common in all contexts.
Definition
Meaning
Working for payment or wages; having a job.
Using something (e.g., a method, strategy, tool, or resource) for a specific purpose; made use of; kept occupied.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The word 'employed' can be ambiguous: it can describe a person's job status (adjective) or the act of using something (verb participle). The context usually clarifies meaning. The adjective 'employed' is typically used in passive constructions (e.g., 'He is employed by a bank') or as a pre-nominal modifier (e.g., 'employed persons').
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in core job-related meaning. Minor spelling preferences: BrE might use 'employer' and 'employee' slightly more in formal texts, but 'employed' is identical.
Connotations
Similar connotations in both varieties. In business contexts, 'employed' can sound slightly more formal than 'has a job'.
Frequency
Equally frequent in both varieties; a core vocabulary item.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
be employed (by sb/sth)be employed as sthbe employed in sth/doing sthbe employed to do sthVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “gainfully employed”
- “self-employed”
- “full employed”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Refers to workforce status (e.g., 'employed vs. unemployed'), contract type (e.g., 'permanently employed'), or economic conditions (e.g., 'fully employed economy').
Academic
Used in sociology and economics to describe labor market participation.
Everyday
Commonly used to ask or state if someone has a job (e.g., 'Are you employed at the moment?').
Technical
In statistics, refers to individuals performing paid work for at least one hour per week.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- She is employed by the NHS as a nurse.
- The company employs over 500 people in its Manchester office.
- Various techniques were employed to solve the problem.
American English
- He is employed by Microsoft as a software engineer.
- The factory employs nearly a thousand local workers.
- We employed a new strategy to increase sales.
adverb
British English
- This word is rarely used as an adverb; 'gainfully' modifies 'employed' as an adjective phrase (e.g., 'gainfully employed').
American English
- This word is rarely used as an adverb; 'gainfully' modifies 'employed' as an adjective phrase (e.g., 'gainfully employed').
adjective
British English
- He is currently employed in the finance sector.
- The survey focused on employed mothers.
- All employed staff are entitled to the pension scheme.
American English
- She is gainfully employed as a lawyer.
- The number of employed people rose last month.
- Employed individuals pay taxes through payroll.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- My father is employed at a school.
- Is your sister employed?
- She is employed as a sales assistant in a large department store.
- He was employed by the same company for twenty years.
- The new technology has left many formerly employed workers seeking retraining.
- Despite being highly qualified, she remained unemployed for months after graduation.
- The government's policy aims to keep as many people as possible gainfully employed.
- A novel methodology was employed to analyse the complex dataset.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of 'EMPLOYed' as having a 'PLOY' or plan to earn money. The 'ploy' is your job.
Conceptual Metaphor
EMPLOYMENT IS A CONTAINER (e.g., 'in employment', 'out of work'). EMPLOYMENT IS A RESOURCE (e.g., 'gainfully employed').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid translating 'employed' directly as 'занят', which means 'busy', not necessarily 'having a job'. Use 'работает' or 'имеет работу'.
- The phrase 'self-employed' is a single concept; do not translate literally as 'самозанят' which is a specific tax status; 'индивидуальный предприниматель' (ИП) is closer.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'I am employed in a bank' instead of the more natural 'I work for a bank' or 'I am employed by a bank'.
- Confusing 'I am employed' (state) with 'I was employed' (past action).
Practice
Quiz
What is the most common meaning of 'employed' in everyday conversation?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It can be both. It is the past participle of the verb 'employ', but it is very commonly used as an adjective meaning 'having a job' (e.g., 'an employed person').
'Employed' typically means working for an employer who pays you a salary/wage. 'Self-employed' means working for yourself, running your own business, and not being on another company's payroll.
Yes. While the primary meaning relates to people having jobs, it can also mean 'used' or 'utilized', especially in more formal or academic contexts (e.g., 'The technique employed was very effective').
It is grammatically correct but not the most natural phrasing. Native speakers typically say 'I work for a company' or 'I am employed by a company'.
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