structural unemployment: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1-C2 / Low-frequency Academic/Economic termAcademic, Economic, Policy, Formal Journalism
Quick answer
What does “structural unemployment” mean?
The type of unemployment caused by fundamental changes in the economy, such as technological advances or the decline of certain industries, where workers' skills no longer match available jobs.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
The type of unemployment caused by fundamental changes in the economy, such as technological advances or the decline of certain industries, where workers' skills no longer match available jobs.
Persistent unemployment resulting from a mismatch between workers' skills and the requirements of new jobs created by economic restructuring, often requiring retraining or relocation to resolve.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant lexical differences. Concept is identical in both economic discourses.
Connotations
Often discussed in relation to deindustrialisation (UK) or automation/offshoring (US). In UK policy, may be linked to regional disparities; in US, often linked to 'skills gap'.
Frequency
Slightly higher frequency in UK media/policy due to historical focus on post-industrial regional economies.
Grammar
How to Use “structural unemployment” in a Sentence
[Economy/Region] + experiences/faces/has + structural unemploymentStructural unemployment + stems from/results from/is caused by + [economic change]Policies to + combat/address + structural unemploymentVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “structural unemployment” in a Sentence
noun
British English
- The structural unemployment in the North-East is a legacy of the coal industry's collapse.
- Politicians debated how to measure the true rate of structural unemployment.
American English
- Technological disruption is a major driver of structural unemployment.
- The Federal Reserve noted that some unemployment was structural, not cyclical.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Discussed in strategic planning regarding workforce skills and automation risks.
Academic
A core concept in labour economics and macroeconomics, analysed with models.
Everyday
Rarely used precisely; might be simplified to 'jobs that aren't coming back'.
Technical
Precisely defined in economics as unemployment not solvable by demand-side policies alone.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “structural unemployment”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “structural unemployment”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “structural unemployment”
- Confusing it with cyclical unemployment (due to business cycle).
- Using it to refer to any long-term unemployment.
- Misspelling as *structural unemployment*.
- Thinking it can be solved quickly by government spending alone.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Cyclical unemployment is temporary and tied to the ups and downs of the business cycle. Structural unemployment is permanent for specific jobs, caused by economic restructuring, and doesn't go away when the economy recovers.
It can be reduced, but not quickly by traditional stimulus. Solutions involve long-term strategies like education reform, vocational retraining, relocation assistance, and policies encouraging new industries.
Yes, automation is a classic cause. It permanently eliminates certain types of jobs (e.g., assembly line workers, data entry clerks), creating a structural mismatch until workers gain new skills.
No. In this term, 'structural' refers to the underlying structure or composition of the economy itself—its industries, technologies, and required skills—not to political or administrative structures.
The type of unemployment caused by fundamental changes in the economy, such as technological advances or the decline of certain industries, where workers' skills no longer match available jobs.
Structural unemployment is usually academic, economic, policy, formal journalism in register.
Structural unemployment: in British English it is pronounced /ˌstrʌk.tʃər.əl ˌʌn.ɪmˈplɔɪ.mənt/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˌstrʌk.tʃɚ.əl ˌʌn.ɪmˈplɔɪ.mənt/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “The robots are taking our jobs (colloquial reference to technological structural unemployment)”
- “A jobs mismatch”
- “Skills obsolescence”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
STRUCTURAL = like the structure of a building. If the building's structure (the economy) changes, some parts (workers) no longer fit.
Conceptual Metaphor
THE ECONOMY IS AN ORGANISM/BODY: Structural unemployment is a chronic illness or a misaligned bone, not a temporary fever.
Practice
Quiz
Which of the following is the BEST example of a cause of structural unemployment?