Employment is an agreement between an employer and an employee that the employee will provide certain services on the job, and in the employer's designated workplace, to facilitate the accomplishment of the employer organization’s goals and mission, in return for compensation.

The agreement can be verbal, implied, or an official employment contract.

In employment, the employer determines the where, when, how, why, and what of the work that is performed by the employee. The degree of input, autonomy and self-directedness that an employee experiences on the job is a by-product of an employer’s philosophy of management and employment.

In the United States, much of an employment relationship between an employer and employee is governed by the needs, profitability, and management philosophy of an employer as well as the availability of employees. Increasingly, however, Federal and state laws are enacted which direct the employment relationship and decrease the autonomy of employers.

Employment ends at the prerogative of the employer or the employee.