--- description: 47% of unemployed have "completely given up" looking for a job, a new survey finds title: 47% Unemployed Have "Completely Given Up" on the Job Hunt image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta4daea16eda7f5a6/6986909b13c79f9aa4192355/167930461.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Careers & Workplace](/tag/careers-workplace/) ## Careers & Workplace Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # 47% of Unemployed Americans Have Just Stopped Looking for Work  by [Dan Kedmey](/author/dan-kedmey/)  ## Dan Kedmey Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 22, 2014 5:27 PM CUT  People looking for work stand in line to apply for a job during a job fair at the Miami Dolphins Sun Life stadium on May 2, 2013 in Miami, Florida. People looking for work stand in line to apply for a job during a job fair at the Miami Dolphins Sun Life stadium on May 2, 2013 in Miami, Florida.Joe Raedle—Getty Images  by [Dan Kedmey](/author/dan-kedmey/)  ## Dan Kedmey Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 22, 2014 5:27 PM CUT Nearly half of unemployed Americans have “completely given up” looking for a job, a [new survey](http://www.expresspros.com/subsites/AmericaEmployed/documents/Harris-Poll-Survey-of-the-Unemployed-20140521.pdf "undefined") has found. Pollsters for job staffing company Express Employment Professionals asked 1,500 unemployed American adults how they were faring in their job hunts. A startling number were, in a word, fed up.  83% expressed a willingness to accept a job that would pay less than their previous position, and 45% blamed the economy for producing what feels to them like a jobless recovery. “After searching for four years and being unsuccessful, I am tired of trying,” one respondent said, [according](http://www.expresspros.com/subsites/americaemployed/Unemployed-Have-Given-Up-Finding-Job.aspx "undefined") to the surveyors. Despite the troubling numbers, 91% agreed with the statement “I’m hopeful that I will find a job I really want in the next six months,” indicating that they still held out hope that they could land a job, even if the search felt beyond their control. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/109335/unemployed-americans/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/109335/unemployed-americans/"},"headline":"47% of Unemployed Americans Have Just Stopped Looking for Work","datePublished":"2014-05-22T17:27:41.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:08:21.561Z","description":"New survey finds the unemployed are losing hope","url":"https://time.com/109335/unemployed-americans/","keywords":["Careers & Workplace","Unemployment","job search","job hunt"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta4daea16eda7f5a6/6986909b13c79f9aa4192355/167930461.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Dan Kedmey","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/dan-kedmey/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta4daea16eda7f5a6/6986909b13c79f9aa4192355/167930461.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Job Fair Held At Sun Life Stadium In Miami","caption":"Job Fair Held At Sun Life Stadium In Miami","creditText":"Joe Raedle—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/careers-workplace/","name":"Careers & Workplace"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/109335/unemployed-americans/","name":"47% of Unemployed Americans Have Just Stopped Looking for Work"}}]}] ```