Long-term unemployment surged in the United States in the aftermath of the Global Financial Crisis (2007-2008) and Great Recession (2008-2009). The long-term unemployment rate did not fall below its pre-Great Recession levels until March 2020, which was caused by the surge in the numbers of regular unemployed persons in the U.S., not by a decrease in the absolute number of long-term unemployed. Long-term unemployment is defined as a worker who is seeking work having been unemployed for 27 weeks or longer.
This is a serious problem in the United States as many long-term unemployed workers have low levels of educational attainment, have worked in declining industries in the past (such as some primary or manufacturing sectors), or come from minority groups. Active labor market policies are used to address these issues, with schemes such as training and job-sharing schemes aiming to improve the job prospects of the long-term unemployed. The question of whether automation and other structural changes to the economy are causing a secular increase in long-term unemployment is a key issue facing the U.S. in the 21st century.
Share of long-term unemployed workers in the monthly total unemployment rate in the United States from 2002 to 2022
Characteristic
Long-term unemployed as a share of total unemployment
Oct-2022
19.5%
Sep-2022
18.5%
Aug-2022
18.8%
Jul-2022
18.9%
Jun-2022
22.6%
May-2022
23.2%
Apr-2022
25.2%
Mar-2022
23.9%
Feb-2022
26.7%
Jan-2022
25.9%
Dec-2021
31.7%
Nov-2021
32.5%
Oct-2021
32.2%
Created with Highcharts 7.2.2Long-term unemployed as a share of total unemploymentOct-2002Feb-2003Jun-2003Oct-2003Feb-2004Jun-2004Oct-2004Feb-2005Jun-2005Oct-2005Feb-2006Jun-2006Oct-2006Feb-2007Jun-2007Nov-2007Mar-2008Jul-2008Nov-2008Mar-2009Jul-2009Nov-2009Mar-2010Jul-2010Nov-2010Mar-2011Jul-2011Nov-2011Mar-2012Jul-2012Nov-2012Mar-2013Jul-2013Nov-2013Mar-2014Jul-2014Nov-2014Mar-2015Jul-2015Nov-2015Mar-2016Jul-2016Nov-2016Mar-2017Jul-2017Nov-2017Mar-2018Jul-2018Nov-2018Mar-2019Jul-2019Nov-2019Mar-2020Jul-2020Nov-2020Mar-2021Jul-2021Nov-2021Mar-2022Jul-2022
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Bureau of Labor Statistics. (November 16, 2022). Share of long-term unemployed workers in the monthly total unemployment rate in the United States from 2002 to 2022 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved April 04, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1345482/long-term-unemployment-share-unemployment-us/
Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Share of long-term unemployed workers in the monthly total unemployment rate in the United States from 2002 to 2022." Chart. November 16, 2022. Statista. Accessed April 04, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1345482/long-term-unemployment-share-unemployment-us/
Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2022). Share of long-term unemployed workers in the monthly total unemployment rate in the United States from 2002 to 2022. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: April 04, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1345482/long-term-unemployment-share-unemployment-us/
Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Share of Long-term Unemployed Workers in The Monthly Total Unemployment Rate in The United States from 2002 to 2022." Statista, Statista Inc., 16 Nov 2022, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1345482/long-term-unemployment-share-unemployment-us/
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Share of long-term unemployed workers in the monthly total unemployment rate in the United States from 2002 to 2022 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1345482/long-term-unemployment-share-unemployment-us/ (last visited April 04, 2025)
Share of long-term unemployed workers in the monthly total unemployment rate in the United States from 2002 to 2022 [Graph], Bureau of Labor Statistics, November 16, 2022. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1345482/long-term-unemployment-share-unemployment-us/
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