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Prepositions before nouns

“Of employment” or “in employment”

In employment is a standard expression meaning employed or working. Of employment appears in formal noun phrases such as conditions of employment.

Quick answer

How do you use employment with prepositions?

Use in employment to mean having a job or being employed. Use of employment in formal structures that describe aspects of work, such as terms of employment or history of employment.

After graduation, she entered employment quickly.
Many older adults remain in employment after retirement age.
The contract explained the conditions of employment clearly.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
in employment

Meaning employed or working

Use in employment to describe a person's work status.

More graduates are staying in employment during the summer.
He remained in employment until last year.
2
of employment

Describing job-related conditions or history

Use of employment in formal noun phrases connected to work arrangements or records.

The handbook outlines the terms of employment.
We requested proof of employment from the applicant.
3
employment in + field

Naming an area of work

Use employment in to specify an industry or field.

She found employment in finance after university.
There are opportunities for employment in tourism this year.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
of employment
The conditions of employment changed this year.
Formal phrase describing aspects of a job or contract.
in employment
Millions of people are in employment.
Means employed or working.
employment in
He is seeking employment in healthcare.
Names a field or industry.
employment of
The employment of minors is regulated by law.
Employment of means the hiring or use of people.

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using of employment for work status

Use in employment when talking about whether someone has a job.

✕ She is of employment now. ✓ She is in employment now.

Leaving out the article in formal phrases

Many formal expressions use the before noun phrases with of employment.

✓ the terms of employment

Confusing employment of with employed by

Employment of refers to the act of employing people, not a person's employer.

✕ He has employment of a bank. ✓ He is employed by a bank.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. The contract explains the terms ___ employment.
2. After college, she was quickly ___ employment.
3. He is looking for employment ___ engineering.

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Frequently asked questions

Is in employment formal or informal?

It is common in both formal and neutral English, especially in statistics and reports.

What does proof of employment mean?

It means documents or information showing that someone has a job.

Can I say employment of workers?

Yes. It refers to the hiring or use of workers.

of, about, against, to or for racism? of, about, for, in or on friendship? of, about, for, on or to thing? of, about, for, to or with sex? of, about, on, to or for moon? "of access" or "with access"? "of accommodation" or "for accommodation"? "of accuracy" or "for accuracy"? "of action" or "in action"? "of actor", "with actor" or "by actor"? "of address" or "to address"? "of administration" or "in administration"?

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