Lenders might look at a wide variety of factors when determining whether to offer a borrower a loan. Generally, lenders look at things like income, debt-to-income ratio, credit history, and credit score. Lenders use this data to determine how likely it is that the borrower will pay back the loan, because unlike with a secured loan, unsecured personal loans don’t have collateral that the lender can repossess in the case that the borrower stops making payments.
Of course, if a borrower is unemployed, they won’t necessarily have income to show, and their debt-to-income ratio might be much lower than it would be with a stable income. Of course, different lenders have different criteria for lending, and the ultimate decision about who gets a loan is determined by that specific lender.