This story is free to read because readers choose to support LAist. If you find value in independent local reporting, make a donation to power our newsroom today.
How Unemployment Has Dragged On, In Three Charts
Losing your job is rarely good. Not being able to find one for months can be disastrous for individuals, and bad for society as well. Yet during the recent recession and the current anemic recovery, more people in the U.S. have been unemployed for longer than at any time since 1948.
Of all Americans who were unemployed in June, almost half had been without a job for 27 weeks or longer. In other words, 5.4 million people have been jobless for more than half a year.
The government calls these the long-term unemployed. Experts say the longer workers are jobless, the more likely they are to lose valuable work skills. They also have a harder time re-entering the workforce than those who are jobless for shorter periods.
Sure enough, the data bear this out: As of June, the number of people unemployed for less than 27 weeks had declined by about 25 percent since it peaked in October 2009. But the ranks of the long-term unemployed have declined more slowly for the same period, by about 5 percent. In other words, as unemployment comes down, the long-term unemployed aren't benefiting as much.
The current recession and recovery is unusual for the sheer number of people unemployed for long periods. They haven't always made up such a large proportion of the unemployed, as shown in the chart below:
As a result, on average, people today are also unemployed for much longer than they have been since the Bureau of Labor Statistics started recording this data in 1948:
These figures reflect the most commonly cited measure of unemployment, excluding those who are working part time but want full-time work, and those who want a job but have given up looking.
Sponsored message
Note: This blog post was updated to reflect the numbers of this morning's jobs report.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. 9(MDA1OTI3MjQ5MDEyODUwMTE2MzM1YzNmZA004))
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
