unemployment benefit

IPA/ˌʌnɪmˈplɔɪmənt benɪfɪt/
IPA/ˌʌnɪmˈplɔɪmənt benɪfɪt/

unemployment benefit — noun

1. A regular sum of money provided by the state to people who have lost their job a

1.nounB2
Definition

A regular sum of money provided by the state to people who have lost their job and are actively looking for new work, intended to cover basic living costs during the job search period.

Example

After the factory closed, Salma claimed unemployment benefit while looking for a new job.

collocation: claim + unemployment benefit

The government raised unemployment benefits last year to support families affected by the economic downturn.

collocation: raise + unemployment benefits

Common collocations
  • claim unemployment benefit
  • receive unemployment benefits
  • qualify for unemployment benefit
  • be entitled to unemployment benefit
  • unemployment benefit payments
  • unemployment benefit system
  • cut off from unemployment benefit
  • apply for unemployment benefits
  • live on unemployment benefit
Synonyms
Antonyms
  • salary

    regular money earned from employment, opposed to money received when out of work

  • wages

    hourly or daily pay from work, the opposite of state support during unemployment

Grammar Patterns

claim + unemployment benefit

receive + unemployment benefits

be on + unemployment benefit

Usage Note

British English mostly uses the uncountable form unemployment benefit (He is on unemployment benefit). American English predominantly uses the countable plural unemployment benefits (She collects unemployment benefits). The formal US term is unemployment compensation.

Common Mistakes

I applied for unemployment benefit after quitting my job.
I applied for unemployment benefit after being laid off.
In most countries, people who leave a job voluntarily are not eligible for unemployment benefits.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Unemployment benefit is the most general term, used in both British and American English, though it sounds more neutral and bureaucratic. Unemployment compensation is the formal American label, often appearing on official forms. Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) is the specific UK government scheme that replaced the older 'dole' in 1996; it has strict conditions about actively seeking work. Dole is an informal, older British word that can imply disapproval — 'living on the dole' sometimes carries a stigma that 'receiving unemployment benefit' does not. For example, a news report might say 'the number of people claiming unemployment benefit has fallen,' but a neighbour might grumble 'he's been on the dole for years.'

unemployment benefit ↗unemployment compensation ↗jobseeker's allowancedole ↗

Etymology

LatinAnglo-FrenchEnglish

A compound noun that combines 'unemployment' (the condition of being without paid work, formed from the prefix un- 'not' + employment, from Latin implicare 'to involve') with 'benefit' (from Latin benefactum 'good deed', via Anglo-French and Old French). The phrase 'unemployment benefit' entered English in the early 20th century as Western countries created government insurance schemes for workers who lost their jobs.