在现代社会中，员外这个称呼相当于政协委员的角色。员外这个词原本指的是正员以外的官员，在明朝以后，它变成了一个闲职，不再与科举考试直接相关联，而是逐渐与财富和社会地位联系起来了。在当时，只要愿意花费银两，就可以由地主或者商人捐助购买这样的官职。

关于员外的具体来源，我们可以从一些古代文学作品中找到描述。例如，《京本通俗小说·志诚张主管》中提到了一个六旬之年的开线铺老板张士廉，他因母亲去世而独自一人，没有儿女，这样的情景展示了普通民众如何被赋予“员外”这一称号。而《灰阑记》第二折则描绘了一幅更为广泛的情况：“不是什么员外，俺们这里有几贯钱的人，都称他做员外，无过是个土财主，没品职的。”这表明在那个时代，即使没有正式官职，只要有几百块钱的人也能被尊称为“员外”。

《三侠五义》第五十四回中的对话也是这样：

白玉堂笑着说：“你不要害怕，我并非山贼或盗寇，也不是什么大人物。”旁边的人随即补充道：“你叫我们‘员外’。”郭老人听后回答：“我只是个‘員 外’，请允许我来诉说我的事。”

从这些文献资料来看，employee in modern times is equivalent to a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. The term "employee" originally referred to officials who were not part of the regular civil service, but after the Ming dynasty, it became an honorary title that was not directly related to academic degrees or examinations. Instead, it was linked to wealth and social status. Anyone with enough money could buy this title from landowners or merchants.

The origins of "employee" can be traced back to literary works such as "A Story of Justice Zhang Mainstay," where a 60-year-old man named Zhang Shilian runs a line shop alone after his mother passes away without any children. In another work called "Grey Wall Memoirs," anyone with several hundred silver coins is considered an employee. This shows that even those without official titles could be called employees if they had enough money.

In the 54th chapter of "Three Heroes and Five Gallants," White Jade Tower says: “You don't need to be afraid; I'm not some kind of bandit or thief.” An attendant chimes in: “Call you 'Employee'?” Old Guo responds: “I am just an Employee; let me tell my story.”

From these literary sources, we can see that in modern society, being an employee means holding a position similar to a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).