What to do if villagers are not taking a job in Minecraft

Minecraft villagers offer players valuable trades in exchange for emeralds and are an important part of the game. They help you by working in different professions based on the job blocks they interact with. However, you may encounter some who are unwilling to take up a job.

This could be due to several reasons, such as being a nitwit, pathfinding issues, or a lack of beds. These issues can be resolved by following a few steps, after which the Minecraft villagers should work again.

This guide explains why Minecraft villagers may not take a job and how to fix the issue.

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Why Minecraft villagers might not take a job

There could be many reasons for villagers not picking a job (Image via Mojang Studios)

It's important to understand why a villager might not take up a job. Nitwit villagers are a special type of villager with a green robe. They cannot work in any profession or trade since they are typically useful for breeding but not for jobs. If the villager is a nitwit, there’s no way to make them take up a job.

Villagers are less likely to take a job during the night. This means they may ignore the job block until it’s daytime again. They also need beds in the village to get a job. If there aren’t enough beds available, villagers may not be able to take a job even if a job block is available.

If the job block is not properly placed or the villager is trying to pathfind to one that is far away, they may fail to take up the job. In this case, the Minecraft villager might not be able to recognize the job block and may choose not to work.

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How to fix the problem

This is a common issue faced by many Minecraft players (Image via Mojang Studio)

First, check if the villager is a nitwit. If so, there’s nothing you can do to make them take a job. You can either try to find a different villager or breed more of them to get a non-nitwit one. If the villager is not a nitwit but still refuses to take the job, the issue might be with the job block.

Sometimes, when a villager tries to interact with a different job block, breaking the latter can help. Although, make sure the block is close to the villager and within their pathfinding range. This will allow the villager to recognize the block and take up the job. At times, other villagers in the area may have already claimed a job block.

This means the villager won’t be able to take that job. To fix this, you can either break the job block to reset it or swap the villagers around. If your village doesn’t have enough beds, they won’t be able to take any jobs. Make sure every villager has access to a bed that is placed near the job blocks.