What is a current or previous employer?

Upon employer can be defined as a business or any organization, to which you were hired and because of which you worked for in the past or still work now. Specifically:

Current employer:

Nowadays, many youngsters prefer working for a company in which they are currently employed. This is the employer you work for, and presently, he compensates you by giving you wages and salary in exchange for your work and skill.

Previous employer:

Any company or society which you worked in the past and are currently no longer an employee. These jobs are the ones you quit or were fired because of whatever reasons.

Also See: Ascendant Marketing, Inc Current and Past Jobs

Your current and previous employers play an important role in your work history and career progression:

They can give a reference and a testimony (or recommendation) when applying for future jobs. Proper references from the former employers can enlarge your odds of the employment grant.
They decide in case you qualify for unemployment benefit if you are fired or are laid-off off your present job. Just like you show that you have been involved in a continuous work with previous employers you may also equally qualify as well.
Insufficient data at work or short-term employers over and over may be the reason of a reasoned answer by the future employers. Working for the same organization for a longer time, however, can grow your reputation as a hardworking individual with employers.
The picture of your experience at organisations you currently/previously work for describes your domain expertise, capabilities and gets you the roles you apply for in the future.

In general, your employers give you both the current and past records of your professional background, which spans all the years of your employment. Both play a crucial role in elaborating on the qualities presented in your resume while putting context behind them when you apply to new job position. It is crucial to be on a good basis with them.