Although unemployment is at its lowest level in three years, about 12.8 million people are still out of work, and 40% of them have been jobless for more than six months.
Although unemployment is at its lowest level in three years, about 12.8 million people are still out of work, and 40% of them have been jobless for more than six months.
Unemployment in January was at its lowest level in three years — 8.3 percent — and 1.8 million jobs were added last year, compared with about 1 million in 2010. But there’s still a long way to go: There are 5.6 million fewer jobs than there were when the recession began in late 2007.
The long-term unemployed don’t fit into any neat category. They’re young and old. They have high school diplomas and master’s degrees. Some become so discouraged, they stop looking for a time or become mid-life college students. Others find temporary jobs, then return to the jobless rolls for long stretches. In 2011, the average length of being out of work was 39 weeks — about nine months.
Read more at The Washington Post.
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