雇用（こよう、koyou）
- employment

The Japanese word 雇用 (こよう, koyou) primarily means "employment," "hiring," or "to employ." It refers to the act of hiring someone for a job, as well as the state of being employed. It encompasses the entire process from offering a job to a person and establishing a work relationship. The word implies a formal, often contractual, agreement between an employer and an employee. It's about bringing someone into a company, organization, or any entity to work and receive compensation.

⚫︎新しい社員を雇用する。 Translation: To hire a new employee. ⚫︎雇用契約を結ぶ。 Translation: To make an employment contract. ⚫︎彼はその会社に雇用されている。 Translation: He is employed by that company.

⚫︎雇用 is used in formal and semi-formal contexts. ⚫︎ It is appropriate for business, official documents, and news reports. ⚫︎ You can use it when discussing job offers, hiring processes, employee status, and labor relations.

⚫︎ The standard way to write 雇用 is with the kanji 雇用 (こよう). ⚫︎ The hiragana reading (こよう) always accompanies the kanji. ⚫︎ There are no significant variations in okurigana.

⚫︎ 採用 (さいよう, saiyou) - Recruitment; hiring ⚫︎ 就職 (しゅうしょく, shuushoku) - Getting a job; finding employment ⚫︎ 勤務 (きんむ, kinmu) - Working; service

⚫︎ 解雇 (かいこ, kaiko) - Dismissal; firing ⚫︎ 退職 (たいしょく, taishoku) - Retirement; resignation ⚫︎ 失業 (しつぎょう, shitsugyou) - Unemployment

会社は、来年から新卒者の雇用を増やす計画です。 ・Translation: The company plans to increase the hiring of new graduates from next year. ・Explanation: This sentence describes the company's intention to hire more recent graduates.

政府は雇用の安定を目指して、さまざまな政策を実施しています。 ・Translation: The government is implementing various policies to aim for the stability of employment. ・Explanation: This sentence discusses the government's efforts to ensure job security for its citizens.

The word 雇用 is a compound word formed from two kanji: 雇 (こ, ko) which means "to hire" or "to employ," and 用 (よう, you) which means "use" or "application." Combining these characters, 雇用 literally signifies "to employ and make use of."