unemployment benefit


noun

an allowance of money paid, usually weekly, to an unemployed worker by a state or federal agency or by the worker's labor union or former employer during all or part of the period of unemployment.
Also called unemployment compensation.

Origin of unemployment benefit

First recorded in 1925–30

British Dictionary definitions for unemployment compensation (1 of 2)

unemployment compensation

noun

(in the US) payment by a governmental agency to unemployed people

British Dictionary definitions for unemployment compensation (2 of 2)

unemployment benefit

noun

(in Britain, formerly) a regular payment to a person who is out of work: replaced by jobseeker's allowance in 1996 Informal term: dole
(in New Zealand) a means-tested monetary benefit paid weekly by the Social Security Department to the unemployed

Cultural definitions for unemployment compensation

unemployment compensation

Short-term payments made to workers who have involuntarily lost their jobs.