Employment and Work
Employment is paid work, with rights and duties for employees and employers such as minimum wage and safe conditions.
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Employment is paid work, with rights and duties for employees and employers such as minimum wage and safe conditions.
- Contracts set out the terms of the job
- Trade unions represent workers
- Employees must be treated fairly
🧠 Quick quiz
Three questions. Score 2 or more to complete the topic.
What is Employment and Work?
Within Economics & Civics, which covers money, markets, business, government, law and citizenship: how societies are organised and run, this topic explains Employment and Work. Economics and civics topics explain how money, markets, laws and government affect people, so each topic here pairs a clear definition with a model.
Check that you can explain Employment and Work in your own words and give one example from everyday life. If you can do that, you have understood the core idea.
Understanding Employment and Work helps you read the news critically and weigh up policies, choices and arguments about society.
Employment and Work in detail
People work to earn income, but also for purpose, skills and social contact. Types of employment include full-time, part-time, temporary, self-employed and zero-hours contracts. A contract of employment sets out pay, hours, holidays and duties.
Workers have rights, such as a minimum wage, safe conditions, equal treatment, paid holiday and protection from unfair dismissal. Employers also have rights. Trade unions represent workers in negotiations. Pay is influenced by skills, demand for the job and risks. Technology and globalisation are changing the labour market, so lifelong learning is important.
How the interactive helps you understand Employment and Work
Click a card to flip it and reveal the answer, then move on to the next one.
Before you change anything, predict the result. Then change one value at a time and check whether your prediction was right. This is a quick way to build a correct mental model of Employment and Work.
Real-life uses and examples
- Relate Employment and Work to a news story about prices, jobs, elections or government spending.
- Use Employment and Work to weigh up the pros and costs of a policy or decision.
- Explain Employment and Work to a classmate using a choice you make yourself, such as spending pocket money.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Giving an opinion without evidence or a clear economic or civic reason.
- Confusing a short-term effect with a long-term one.
- Learning the definition without testing it. Use the quiz and the interactive to check that you can apply the idea.
Frequently asked questions about Employment and Work
What is Employment and Work?
Employment is paid work, with rights and duties for employees and employers such as minimum wage and safe conditions.
What are the most important points about Employment and Work?
The main points are: Contracts set out the terms of the job; Trade unions represent workers; Employees must be treated fairly.
Why is Employment and Work useful?
Understanding Employment and Work helps you read the news critically and weigh up policies, choices and arguments about society.
How can I practise Employment and Work?
Open the interactive at the top of this page and change the controls one at a time. Predict the result before each change, then take the three-question quiz. A score of two or more marks the topic as complete on this device.
Which topics are related to Employment and Work?
Related topics in Economics & Civics include Public and Private Sectors, Elections and Voting Systems, The Executive: Prime Minister and Cabinet.