This paper explores the personal characteristics of those discouraged over job prospects. Microdata from the Current
Population Survey, for three monthly periods, January 2020, January 2021, and January 2022, were compiled to gain
insights into the discouraged worker. Results suggest that he number of discouraged workers has declined in the
nonmetro, but has increased in the metro and during phase 4 of the Covid-19 pandemic, January 2021, more Blacks than
Whites believed that they couldn’t find work.