There may also be an element of risk in getting a job. I'm not sure what the situation is in the US, but in Canada it is very difficult to justify putting effo

There may also be an element of risk in getting a job. I'm not sure what the situation is in the US, but in Canada it is very difficult to justify putting effort into finding work if you were barely earning enough to get by. Simply put, taking a full time job that earns 50% to 100% of your prior earnings will leave you worse off. That is because you cannot collect employment insurance if you work full time (regardless of your earnings) and the other emergency response program only kicks in if you lost 50% of your income. Now put yourself into the position of someone who is only able to find work that doesn't pay well and is susceptible to emergency measures. Working full time may allow them to put a few dollars aside, but not much. When they find their hours cut back to 60%, there is nothing to protect them. There are a couple of ways to respond to that. One is to put very little effort into applying for desperation jobs. Another is to continue looking for a more secure or better paying job while working. This was a problem in some sectors prior to the pandemic. It has only been made worse because of the pandemic. That being said, I suspect it is worse due to the heightened sense of insecurity rather than government benefits. EDIT: clarification.