I
Insight Horizon Media

What is the difference between a discourage worker and a marginally attached worker?

Author

Daniel Rodriguez

Published Mar 06, 2026

What is the difference between a discourage worker and a marginally attached worker?

Discouraged workers are a subset of persons marginally attached to the labor force. Among the marginally attached, discouraged workers were not currently looking for work specifically because they believed no jobs were available for them or there were none for which they would qualify.

Who is considered a discouraged worker?

Discouraged workers are workers who have stopped looking for work because they found no suitable employment options or failed to be shortlisted when applying for a job. The causes for worker discouragement are complex and varied. Discouraged workers are not included in the headline unemployment number.

What is the difference between an unemployed worker and a discouraged worker?

The unemployment rate is officially defined as unemployed workers as a percent of the labor force. The BLS defines discouraged workers as those who want a job but are not actively searching for one because they believe there are no jobs available for them.

Do marginally attached workers count as employed?

A “marginally attached” worker is not considered to be either employed or unemployed, so they are not included in the “official” unemployment number that is released by the US government every month.

What is the discouraged worker effect?

Labor market research on developed countries notes a “discouraged worker effect”, whereby workers are less likely to seek work during the business cycle downturns (when the probability of getting a job is lower) since seeking work and failing to find a job would make them worse off than if they remained unemployed or …

When an unemployed worker becomes discouraged and leaves the Labour force?

Explanation: If unemployed workers give up looking for jobs, they become “discouraged” workers and are no longer considered part of the labor force. But since they are no longer unemployed the nation’s unemployment rate actually decreases.

How does discouraged workers affect employment?

When enough workers become discouraged, they can lower the labor force participation rate (LFPR), which is a key indicator of underlying problems in the job market. A reduced LFPR can negatively affect gross domestic product (GDP) growth because there are fewer workers available to achieve the desired output.

Are Discouraged workers part of the working age population?

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) divides the working-age population into three broad categories: employed, unemployed, and nonparticipants. Discouraged workers are a subset of the nonparticipants.

Are marginally attached workers considered unemployed?

The BLS defines marginally attached workers as persons who are not in the labor force, want and are available for work, and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months. They are not counted as unemployed because they had not searched for work in the prior 4 weeks, for any reason whatsoever.

How many workers are marginally attached?

Table A-16. Persons not in the labor force and multiple jobholders by sex, not seasonally adjusted

CategoryTotalMen
Nov. 2020Nov. 2020
Marginally attached to the labor force(1)2,0681,094
Discouraged workers(2)674419
Other persons marginally attached to the labor force(3)1,394676

What are discouraged workers and why are they important?

In economics, discouraged workers are people who want a job and are eligible for employment but who are currently unemployed and have given up looking for a job in the last four weeks — hence, why they’re called “discouraged.”

Are discouraged workers part of the working age population?

Should discouraged workers be counted as unemployed?

A discouraged worker is someone who has left the labor force because he or she cannot find work. In other words, discouraged workers are unemployed people that were looking for work but have given up. It may surprise you that discouraged workers are not counted as unemployed and are excluded when calculating…

Are marginally attached workers unemployed?

A “marginally attached” worker is someone who: A “marginally attached” worker is not considered to be either employed or unemployed, so they are not included in the “official” unemployment number that is released by the US government every month.

Are discouraged workers in labor force?

Discouraged Worker. A person in the labor force who is not actively looking for work or who has been unable to find a job for an extended period of time. Discouraged workers are considered “marginally attached” to the labor force. Somewhat controversially, discouraged workers are generally not included in official estimations of unemployment.

What are discouraged workers?

Discouraged workers are workers who have stopped looking for work because they found no suitable employment options or failed to be shortlisted when applying for a job.

  • The causes for worker discouragement are complex and varied.
  • Discouraged workers are not included in the headline unemployment number.