Underemployment is a situation where a worker is not fully utilized in their job due to various reasons such as the job not using their skills, being part-time, or leaving the worker idle. Here are some key points about underemployment:

• Underemployment is different from unemployment, where a person who is searching for work cannot find a job.

• Underemployment can be measured by looking at how well the labor force is being used in terms of skills, experience, and availability to work.

• There are two types of underemployment: visible and invisible. Visible underemployment occurs when a person is working fewer hours or earning a lower wage in their chosen field, while invisible underemployment occurs when a person is unable to find a job within their chosen field at all, and they take a job that does not fit their skills.

• Underemployment can negatively impact employees by leading to earning less than what they should earn, not working or earning as much as they would like to or to their full abilities, and not being able to update their skills with on-the-job training.

• Underemployment is counted in U.S. government reports in order to provide a truer picture of the health of the job market.

• Under certain circumstances, unemployment benefits may be available for workers who are underemployed.