Why 617,000 Job Seekers Are Discouraged

Discouraged workers are those who want—and are available—to work, but have dropped out of the labor force because they believe there aren't any jobs for them. In June 2021, there were 617,000 workers categorized as discouraged, an increase from the 600,000 reported in May. These figures are seasonally adjusted.

While these people looked for work within the past year, they have not looked in the past four weeks. However, discouraged workers would take a job if it were offered.

Discouraged workers do not include those who have dropped out of the labor force for other reasons. These are people who have gone back to school to better their chances of getting work. Some leave the workforce because they've gotten pregnant. Other people can't work because they've become disabled. Although they may also feel discouraged, they aren't counted as discouraged workers. 

Who makes this determination? The Bureau of Labor Statistics, a division of the U.S. Department of Labor that is in charge of collecting data on employment and unemployment in America. 

Four Reasons Why Discouraged Workers Give Up

There are four reasons discouraged workers give up looking for work.

1. Most have been unemployed for so long that they don't believe there are any jobs for their skills and abilities.
2. They don't think they have the schooling or training needed to get a good job.
3. They faced age discrimination, where a potential employer thought they were too young or old. For example, there were 574,000 discouraged workers at the end of 2020. Of those, 24% were 55 or over.
4. Some believe they've been discriminated against because of their gender or race. In 2020, 60% of discouraged workers were men, which is higher than the 54% of unemployed men who continued to look for work.

How Discouraged Workers Affect the Labor Force Participation Rate

Discouraged workers can reduce the labor force participation rate (LFPR) if unemployment is serious enough. At the beginning of a recession, the number of discouraged workers increases as the participation rate decreases. After looking for six months or more, many stop looking and drop out of the labor force. At that point, both the participation rate and the number of discouraged workers drop.

When the economy improves, discouraged workers return to the labor force. They may have the hardest time finding a new job, so their number could increase for a while. Eventually, the participation rate should increase and then stabilize as the number of discouraged workers drops. 

History

The LFPR fell from its peak of 67.3% in April 2000 to a low of 62.4% as of September 2015 (and subsequently reached a new low of 60.2% due to COVID-19 in April 2020). It had dropped to 65.8% after the 2003 recession, but then rose to 66.4% in January 2007. What happened is due in large part to discouraged workers, as shown in this chart.

Date	LFPR	Change	Discouraged Workers	Change	Comments
Apr 2000	67.3%	Increase	331,000	Decrease	Labor force healthy at the end of the 1990s.
Jan 2005	65.8%	Decrease	515,000	Increase	Effects of recession.
Jan 2007	66.4%	Increase	442,000	Decrease	Labor force returned to health.
Dec 2010	64.3%	Decrease	1,318,000	Record high	Effects of recession.
Feb 2012	63.8%	Decrease	1,006,000	Decrease	Workers left the labor force. Many were too discouraged. Others went to school or retired. Some were forced to quit due to illness.
Jan 2014	62.9%	Decrease	837,000	Decrease	Workers left the labor force.
Jan 2015	62.9%	Decrease	682,000	Decrease	Workers left the labor force.
Jan 2016	62.7%	Decrease	623,000	Decrease	Workers left the labor force.
Jan 2017	62.8%	Increase	532,000	Decrease	People returned to labor force as number of discouraged workers dropped.
Jan 2018	62.7%	Decrease	451,000	Decrease	People returned to labor force.
Jan 2019	63.2%	Increase	426,000	Decrease	People returned to labor force.
Jan 2020	63.4%	Increase	337,000	Decrease	People returned to labor force.
Jan 2021	61.4%	Decrease	624,000	Increase	Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.