U.S. Department of Labor • U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Summary 09-04 / April 2009 

six alternative measures of labor underutilization published 

monthly by BLS and referred 

to as U-1 through U-6.5 Discouraged workers are included 

in U-4. The U-5 and U-6 measures, which are broader still, 

include all persons marginally 

attached to the labor force; 

U-6 also includes involuntary 

part-time workers. 

All of these data come from 

the Current Population Survey 

(CPS), a monthly survey of 

some 60,000 households that 

is the source of the national 

unemployment rate and many 

other labor market indicators. 

Information on persons marginally attached to the labor 

force has been collected since 

1994. 

This Issues paper was prepared by Sharon Cohany, an 

economist in the Division of 

Labor Force Statistics, Office 

of Employment and Unemployment Statistics. E-mail: 

CPSInfo@bls.gov; Telephone: 

(202) 691-6378.

Information in this summary will be made available 

to sensory-impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 

(202) 691-5200. Federal Relay Service: 1-800-877-8399. 

This report is in the public domain and may be reproduced 

without permission. □

Ranks of Discouraged Workers and Others 

Marginally Attached to the Labor Force 

Rise During Recession

When economic conditions deteriorate, greater attention is paid to persons 

who are without work and 

seeking jobs—the unemployed. At such times, there 

is also greater interest in a 

group of persons who do not 

meet the official definition of 

unemployment but who have 

shown interest in labor force 

participation. These individuals—referred to as “marginally 

attached to the labor force”—

wanted and were available 

for work and had looked for a 

job sometime in the prior 12 

months. They were not counted 

as unemployed because they 

had not actively searched for 

work in the past 4 weeks. 

The number of persons who 

were marginally attached to the 

labor force increased sharply 

during the current recession, 

rising to 2.1 million in the first 

quarter of 2009.1 (See table 1 

and charts 1 and 2.) Their number increased by 541,000, or 35 

percent, from the first quarter 

of 2008.2 By comparison, during that same 1-year period, the 

number of unemployed rose to 

13.5 million, an increase of 5.5 

million, or 68 percent. 

Among the marginally attached, the number of discouraged workers rose to 717,000 

in the first quarter of 2009, a 

70-percent increase from the 

first quarter of 2008. Discouraged workers are persons who 

are not currently looking for 

work because they believe that 

there are no jobs available for 

them. Relative to their share of 

the labor force, young people, 

blacks, and, to a lesser extent, 

Hispanics and men were overrepresented among discouraged 

workers in the first quarter of 

2009. (See table 2.) 3 

The remaining 1.4 million 

persons who were marginally attached to the labor force 

wanted a job but had not looked 

for work in the past 4 weeks for 

reasons such as family responsibilities or transportation problems. The number of persons in 

this group also expanded during 2008, although to a lesser 

extent (22 percent) than discouraged workers. Compared 

with the labor force, other marginally attached persons were 

more likely to be female, black, 

and under the age of 25. 

The marginally attached—

including discouraged workers—account for a small proportion of the total number of 

persons not in the labor force: 

2.6 percent of the 81.3 million 

persons not in the labor force 

in the first quarter of 2009 were 

classified as marginally attached. More typically, persons 

who are not in the labor force 

do not currently want a job, often because they are retired, attending to family responsibilities, going to school, or too ill 

or disabled to work.4 

Because the marginally attached are sometimes considered 

to be at the edge of labor force 

participation, they are included, 

in part or in whole, in three of the 

1

 All of the data presented in this 

report are not seasonally adjusted. 2

 The current recession began in 

December 2007 (as designated by 

the National Bureau of Economic 

Research). Because data on the marginally attached are not available 

on a seasonally adjusted basis, this 

report uses over-the-year comparisons. Quarterly averages rather than 

monthly estimates are used to improve the reliability of the estimates 

presented. 3

 The five specific reasons for discouragement are 1) thinks no work 

available, 2) could not find work, 3) 

lacks schooling or training, 4) employer thinks too young or old, and 5) 

other types of discrimination. 4

 About 3.6 million persons wanted a job in the first quarter of 2009 but 

did not meet the criteria to be marginally attached, primarily because they 

had not looked for work in the past 

12 months. 5

 See The Unemployment Rate 

and Beyond: Alternative Measures 

of Labor Underutilization, Summary 

08-06, June 2008, available on the 

Internet at http://www.bls.gov/opub/

ils/pdf/opbils67.pdf.


Table 2. Distribution of persons in the labor force or marginally attached to the labor force by selected characteristics, first quarter 2009, 

not seasonally adjusted

(Percent distribution)

Marginally attached to the labor force2

Total Discouraged workers3 Other4

Total (in thousands) ......................................................................... 153,659 2,096 717 1,379

Percent ............................................................................................. 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Men................................................................................................... 53.3 52.7 62.6 47.5

Women ............................................................................................ 46.7 47.3 37.4 52.5

White ............................................................................................... 81.6 69.2 66.9 70.4

Black or African American................................................................. 11.4 22.2 23.6 21.5

Asian................................................................................................. 4.6 4.4 4.7 4.2

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity............................................................... 14.3 16.8 17.7 16.3

16 to 24 years................................................................................... 13.6 29.7 24.4 32.6

25 to 54 years................................................................................... 67.7 51.4 54.8 49.7

55 years and older ........................................................................... 18.7 18.8 20.8 17.8

NOTE: Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African 

American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented 

for all races. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino 

may be of any race. 1

 The sum of the employed plus the unemployed. 

2 Refers to persons who have searched for work during the prior 12 

months (but not the prior 4 weeks) and were available to take a job during 

the reference week. Persons marginally attached to the labor force are a 

subset of not in the labor force. 

3

 Includes the following reasons for not actively looking for work in 

the prior 4 weeks: Thinks no work available, could not find work, lacks 

schooling or training, employer thinks too young or old, and other types of 

discrimination. 4

 Includes those who did not actively look for work in the prior 4 weeks 

for such reasons as school or family responsibilities, ill health, and transportation problems, as well as those for which reason for nonparticipation 

was not determined. 

Table 1. Persons not in the labor force, selected quarters, not seasonally adjusted

(Numbers in thousands) 

First quarter 2008 First quarter 2009

 Total Percent Total Percent

Total not in the labor force ............................................................... 79,985 100.0 81,253 100.0

 Persons who currently want a job .................................................. 4,719 5.9 5,663 7.0

 Marginally attached to the labor force, total1 ............................... 1,555 1.9 2,096 2.6

 Reason not currently looking:

 Discouragement over job prospects2 ......................................... 421 .5 717 .9

 Reasons other than discouragement3 ........................................ 1,134 1.4 1,379 1.7

1

 Refers to persons who have searched for work during the prior 12 

months (but not the prior 4 weeks) and were available to take a job during 

the reference week. Persons marginally attached to the labor force are a 

subset of not in the labor force. 2

 Includes the following reasons for not actively looking for work in 

the prior 4 weeks: Thinks no work available, could not find work, lacks 

schooling or training, employer thinks too young or old, and other types of 

discrimination. 3 Includes those who did not actively look for work in the prior 4 weeks 

for such reasons as school or family responsibilities, ill health, and transportation problems, as well as those for whom reason for nonparticipation 

was not determined. 

Category

Characteristic Labor force1


0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

NOTE: Shaded areas represent recessions as determined by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER).

NBER has not yet determined an endpoint for the recession that began in December 2007. 

In thousands

Marginally attached to the 

labor force

Discouraged

workers

Chart 2. Persons not in the labor force, selected indicators, 

quarterly averages, 1994-2009, not seasonally adjusted

Marginally attached workers,

including discouraged workers

(2.1 million) 

Unemployed (13.5 million)

NOTE: Data are not seasonally adjusted.

Employed

(140.1 million)

Others not in the 

labor force

(79.2 million)

Chart 2. Persons not in the labor force, selected indicators, quarterly averages, 

1994–2009, not seasonally adjusted

1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Chart 1. Distribution of the civilian noninstitutional population 16 years and older, 

first quarter 2009

2,500

2,000

1,500

1,000

500

0