Refers to someone without a fixed occupation, often with a nuance of drifting or not contributing to society. Can be used as a noun or adjectival noun (e.g., 遊民的な生活).
He lives like an idler, without a steady job.
The number of unemployed people is increasing due to the recession.
educated loafer; leisured intellectual; idle rich
Compound of 遊 (play, idle) and 民 (people). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word has been used since the Meiji era to describe people without fixed employment.