Beschäftigter

Beschäftigter is a German noun meaning a person who is employed. Grammatically the masculine form is der Beschäftigte; the feminine form is die Beschäftigte; the plural is die Beschäftigten. The term is used in official and everyday language to refer to someone who performs work under an employment contract and receives remuneration. It is often used interchangeably with Arbeitnehmer, though there are nuances: Arbeitnehmer is a legal term for an employee under an employment relationship; Beschäftigter is more descriptive and can be used in statistics and general discussion.

Derivation: from the verb beschäftigen, to employ or engage. The noun is formed with the agentive suffix -er.

In labor market statistics, Beschäftigte denotes people who are employed, including full-time and part-time workers, as well as fixed-term or temporary employees. It is distinct from Arbeitslose (unemployed) and from Selbstständige (self-employed). Apprentices (Auszubildende) and trainees are sometimes counted separately depending on context. In corporate language, Beschäftigte refers to the workforce of a company.