Having a job, but a job that wastes you. Two situations get this word.

Having a job有工作， but a job that wastes you但那份工作在浪費你的能力。 Two situations get this word有兩種情況會用到這個詞。

One: your work is far below your training — an engineer driving a delivery van, a teacher with a master's degree working the counter at a convenience store. Two: you have the right kind of work but not enough of it — you want full-time hours and only get twelve hours a week.

One: your work is far below your training第一種：你做的工作遠低於你的訓練程度—— an engineer driving a delivery van工程師去開送貨車、 a teacher with a master's degree working the counter at a convenience store有碩士學位的老師去便利商店顧櫃檯。 Two: you have the right kind of work but not enough of it第二種：你做的工作類型是對的，但份量不夠—— you want full-time hours and only get twelve hours a week你想要全職的工時，卻只拿到一週十二小時。

In both cases you are employed, so you do not show up in the unemployment numbers, and that is exactly why economists like this word: it names a problem the headline figures hide. It feels formal and is most at home in news reports, government statistics, and serious conversation about jobs.

In both cases you are employed這兩種情況你都算是「有工作」， so you do not show up in the unemployment numbers所以不會出現在失業數字裡， and that is exactly why economists like this word而這正是經濟學家喜歡這個詞的原因： it names a problem the headline figures hide它指出了一個表面數字看不到的問題。 It feels formal這個詞感覺很正式， and is most at home in news reports, government statistics, and serious conversation about jobs最常出現在新聞報導、政府統計和認真討論就業問題的場合。

Notice it is not the same as 'underpaid'. Underpaid is about the money; underemployed is about your hours and your skills going unused. A person can easily be both at once.

Notice it is not the same as 'underpaid'要注意它跟「underpaid（低薪）」不一樣。 Underpaid is about the money「underpaid」講的是錢； underemployed is about your hours and your skills going unused「underemployed」講的是你的工時和技能沒有被用到。 A person can easily be both at once一個人很容易同時兩者都是。