jobholder
C1Formal, official, bureaucratic.
Definition
Meaning
A person who is employed in a paid position.
An individual who holds a specific post or role within an organization, implying a degree of permanence and official status. Can also refer to someone who possesses a particular job, as opposed to being unemployed or self-employed.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The term is often used in formal, legal, or administrative contexts to denote a person occupying a specific position, distinct from more casual terms like 'worker' or 'employee'. It emphasizes the holding of the post itself.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
More common in American English, especially in government and corporate HR contexts. In British English, 'postholder' or 'office-holder' might be used for specific official roles, while 'employee' is more general.
Connotations
Neutral to slightly bureaucratic. Can imply a focus on the position rather than the person.
Frequency
Low frequency in general conversation, higher in official documents, HR, and legal texts.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[Determiner] + jobholder[Adjective] + jobholderjobholder + [Prepositional Phrase (of/for)]Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Safe as the jobholder (rare variant of 'safe as houses')”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Used in HR for pension auto-enrolment ('eligible jobholder'), contracts, and position descriptions.
Academic
Used in labour economics or sociology when discussing employment status categorically.
Everyday
Rare in casual speech; 'employee' or 'worker' is preferred.
Technical
Found in legal and government documents defining rights and obligations attached to a specific post.
Examples
By Part of Speech
adjective
British English
- jobholder status
- jobholder contributions
American English
- jobholder rights
- jobholder information
Examples
By CEFR Level
- She is a jobholder at a large bank.
- The company has over a thousand jobholders.
- The new regulations affect every jobholder in the public sector.
- As a long-term jobholder, he was entitled to a generous pension.
- The policy distinguishes between eligible jobholders and non-eligible workers for auto-enrolment purposes.
- The contract clearly outlines the duties incumbent upon the jobholder.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a JOB as a title you HOLD, like holding an office. A jobHOLDER is the person HOLDING that title.
Conceptual Metaphor
A JOB IS A POSSESSION (something you hold/own).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid direct calque 'работодержатель'. Use 'работник' (worker) or 'служащий' (employee) for general contexts, 'должностное лицо' for official posts.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'jobholder' interchangeably with 'employer' (the one who provides the job).
- Overusing in informal contexts where 'employee' suffices.
Practice
Quiz
In which context is 'jobholder' most appropriately used?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Very similar, but 'jobholder' is more formal and often used in contexts emphasizing the specific position held, especially in legal/HR documents. 'Employee' is broader and more common.
Typically no. 'Jobholder' implies employment by an organization. A self-employed person is not considered a jobholder in standard usage.
The direct opposite is an unemployed person or jobseeker. In a contractual sense, the opposite party is the employer.
No, it is low-frequency and primarily used in specific formal, bureaucratic, or legal contexts. For everyday conversation, 'employee' or 'worker' is much more common.