Indeed not literally “not starve”, although in some very poor countries that might be the best one can achieve realistically.

Anything that gives a person the relatively comfortable choice of not taking a job for some time. What that is and how long is context/country specific, but it is important to make sure that people have a reasonably solid bargaining position when negotiating with potential employers. And even better when they can do so collectively with the help of unions or similar professional organizations.