Poll: 40 Percent of Unemployed Have Stopped Looking for Work

Among the unemployed, 40 percent have stopped even looking for jobs, a survey finds.

That percentage is down from last year, when the same poll was taken and 47 percent said they had given up looking for jobs, according the Harris Poll on behalf of the staffing company Express Employment Professionals.

The longer someone goes without work, the more likely he is to say he has given up:

• 21 percent haven't worked for three months or less
• 37 percent haven't worked for four to six months
• 34 percent haven't worked for seven to 12 months
• 32 percent haven't worked for 13 to 24 months
• 55 percent, a clear majority, haven't worked for two years or more

This is the second year the "State of the Unemployed" poll has been taken. It was conducted April 27-29 of 1,553 unemployed U.S. adults.

As for whom the unemployed blame for their current situation, 48 percent say they are responsible. Thirty-seven percent blame the economy, 21 percent blame their employer, and 14 percent blame the government.

A majority of the unemployed are men, at 57 percent, and the youngest and oldest are the most affected. The largest share of the unemployed, 35 percent, are between 18 and 29 years of age. The next-largest group is 50 or older, 27 percent of which is unemployed.

The poll shows that having a college degree makes a significant difference. Seventy percent of the unemployed have no college degree. Twenty-eight percent at least have an associate's degree.

The purpose of the poll is to assess the attitudes of Americans who are without work, what they are doing to find jobs, why they think they haven't found a job, and how they are getting by without one.

"We often hear people theorizing about what motivates the unemployed or how joblessness is affecting the lives of our fellow Americans. Instead of guessing, we decided to ask them," said Bob Funk, CEO of Express Employment Professionals.

"This survey shows that some of the troubling trends we observed last year are continuing. While the economy is indeed getting better for some, for others who have been unemployed long-term, they are increasingly being left behind," Funk explained.

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