workless
Lacking any occupation
Workless means without work or employment.
The term appears primarily in British English and in formal or statistical contexts: the workless households of northern England, workless claimants of benefits.
It describes a state rather than a choice—workless people lack jobs, while jobless and unemployed carry similar meaning but see wider use.
Lacking paid employment
- laid-offTerminated from employment
- furloughedGranted mandatory unpaid leave
- displacedShifted from proper location
- downsizedReduced in scale
dismissed · retrenched · nonworking · redundancy · benefits · unemployment · claimant · jobseeker
Passing time idly
- loungingReclining in idleness
- lazingResting without aim
- dawdlingLeisurely time-wasting
- loiteringPurposeless public lingering
bumming · shirking · malingering · frittering · mooching · vegging · slacking · procrastinating
Unoccupied space or position
- openingGap or start
- positionLocation or stance
- jobPaid position of employment
- hiringGiving someone work
recruitment · career · post · role · slot · appointment · gig · internship
Refreshment through leisure
- relaxationState of being unwound
- hobbiesLeisure activities for pleasure
- free timeUnscheduled personal hours
- vacationLeisure time away
sabbatical · retirement · downtime · respite · holiday · rest · pastime · recreation
jobless
Lacking paid employment
- laid-offTerminated from employment
- furloughedGranted mandatory unpaid leave
- displacedShifted from proper location
downsized · dismissed · retrenched · nonworking · redundancy · benefits · unemployment · claimant · jobseeker · claiming
loafing
Passing time idly
loitering · bumming · shirking · malingering · frittering · mooching · vegging · slacking · procrastinating · twiddling thumbs
vacancy
Unoccupied space or position
hiring · recruitment · career · post · role · slot · appointment · gig · internship · traineeship
recreation
Refreshment through leisure
- relaxationState of being unwound
- hobbiesLeisure activities for pleasure
- free timeUnscheduled personal hours
vacation · sabbatical · retirement · downtime · respite · holiday · rest · pastime · recreation · time off
- oustedfired, axed, sacked, canned, terminated