Unemployed compiler given hand-out, short of nothing (4)
I believe the answer is:
idle
'unemployed' is the definition.
(similar in meaning)
'compiler given hand-out short of nothing' is the wordplay.
'compiler' becomes 'I' (the person who is writing these clues).
'given' says to put letters next to each other.
'hand-out' becomes 'dole' (informal term for benefits from the state).
'short of' suggests deleting specific letters.
'nothing' becomes 'o' (looks like zero - 0).
'dole' with 'o' taken away is 'dle'.
'i'+'dle'='IDLE'
(Other definitions for idle that I've seen before include "Not hardworking" , "Turn over" , "without purpose" , "Mike" , "not working in > lounge" .)