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Reasons why a Minecraft villager is not taking a job

Minecraft has various interesting mechanics that make the game fun. These include enchanting weapons, mining for metals, summoning dangerous mobs, and trading with villagers. Villager trading is one of the core gameplay mechanics, however, villagers need to be employed to participate in trading.

Sometimes, villagers might refuse to take up a job. This can be a problem as villagers with jobs have some great items to trade, including enchantment books. This article will explain all the reasons why a Minecraft villager might not be taking up a job along with some possible fixes.

NOTE: This article is subjective and reflects the writer's opinion.


Here are some reasons why a Minecraft villager is not taking a job

There are various reasons why Minecraft villagers are not taking up a job. (Image via Mojang Studios)
There are various reasons why Minecraft villagers are not taking up a job. (Image via Mojang Studios)

1) The villager is a nitwit: Nitwits is a type of villager who is incapable of taking up any job. This means that no matter what block you place in front of them, they will always remain jobless. All they do is sleep and walk around. You can identify a nitwit by its green robe. So if a nitwit is not taking up jobs, you do not have to worry as they cannot do anything.

2) Night time: If you are trying to assign a job to a villager during the nighttime, it might not work. Villagers will take up jobs during the daytime. It is also important to light up the space if you are keeping them underground. Make sure that the villagers sleep in their beds first and then try giving them a job.

3) Occupation block error: Sometimes, villagers do not take the job from the occupation block placed next to them. There could be various reasons for that, including some bugs. Try breaking the occupation block and placing them next to the villager. Ensure that all the air blocks are covered by trapping the Minecraft villager inside a small space.

Beds are important for villagers in Minecraft (Image via Mojang Studios)
Beds are important for villagers in Minecraft (Image via Mojang Studios)

4) Breaking beds: Villagers need beds to sleep and it also affects their job. If a particular villager is not taking up a job and it is not a nitwit, then notice the bed it sleeps in. In the morning, break the bed and then place it again. Try assigning a job using the occupation block again and it should work.

5) Remove trapdoors: Trapdoors can be a bit of an issue when it comes to villagers reaching for their occupation block. Many times, getting rid of these doors solves the issue so you can try it and check if trapdoors are causing the issue in your world.

6) Insufficient beds: Villagers need beds to sleep and breed, but they also need beds to get a job. Make sure that there are enough beds for everyone so that they can claim the job and start working. It might not be a definitive fix, but it can certainly be one of the things that works.

7) Improper chunk loading: Sometimes, the game can bug out when loading the chunks in Minecraft. This leads to buggy mob behavior. You can leave the chunk by traveling far from the villagers and then visit again to see if it fixed the issue or not.

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