or Unemployment Insurance, a socialist program whereby the government subsidizes an unemployed person. Usually this means "recently employed but now unable to find suitable employment"; "welfare" is more appropriate for payments to people who have living expenses but are not eligible for "unemployment". In the U.S., payroll check deductions are often itemized; many States combine deductions for State Unemployment Insurance and State Disability Insurance, so you may see an abbreviation like "SUI/SDI".