解雇 and 失業: an employer's action and a jobless state
Compare dismissal with unemployment after a factory closes, and preserve the limited scope of precautionary consultation and inquiries about support.
解雇: dismissal and preparing for its possibility
解雇 (かいこ) means dismissal or termination. 「会社は正当な説明なしに社員を解雇した。」 means “The company dismissed the employee without a valid explanation.” The company dismissed an employee. 正当な説明なしに states that the dismissal lacked a valid explanation in this example; the sentence alone does not establish a legal ruling or subsequent procedure in a real case.
「突然の解雇に備えて専門家へ相談した。」 means “I consulted an expert in case of sudden dismissal.” The speaker consulted an expert in case of sudden dismissal. 備えて gives the precautionary purpose, rather than confirming that the speaker had already been dismissed.
失業: joblessness and asking about support
失業 (しつぎょう) means unemployment or joblessness. 「工場の閉鎖で多くの人が失業した。」 means “The factory closure left many people unemployed.” The factory closure left many people unemployed. 失業 focuses on their jobless state. Keep the stated factory closure as the cause rather than inventing individual reasons for dismissal.
「失業中の生活を支える制度について窓口で相談した。」 means “I asked at the service counter about support available during unemployment.” The consultation at the counter concerned support available during unemployment. It reports asking about a scheme, without reporting an application, approval, or payment.
Separate actions, states, and consultations
With 解雇, identify the action ending employment and the employee affected. With 失業, identify the person's state of being without a job. The two can be related while expressing different perspectives, and these examples are separate situations.
In the consultation examples, read what the speaker is preparing for or asking about. A precautionary purpose is not a completed dismissal, and an inquiry about support is not a confirmed benefit outcome.
What is established by consulting an expert 突然の解雇に備えて and asking about support during 失業中?
Show the answer and why
The first establishes a consultation in preparation for possible sudden dismissal, not that dismissal has occurred. The second establishes an inquiry about support during unemployment, not approval or payment. 解雇 focuses on an action ending employment, while 失業 focuses on the jobless state.