| Table A-12.Unemployed persons by duration of unemployment | |||||||||
| HOUSEHOLD DATA | |||||||||
| Table A-12. Unemployed persons by duration of unemployment Numbers in thousands | |||||||||
| Duration | Not seasonally adjusted | Seasonally adjusted | |||||||
| Jan. | Dec. | Jan. | Jan. | Sept. | Oct. | Nov. | Dec. | Jan. | |
| 2009 | 2009 | 2010 | 2009 | 2009 | 2009 | 2009 | 2009 | 2010 | |
| NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED | |||||||||
| Less than 5 weeks | 4,137 | 2,871 | 3,464 | 3,633 | 2,938 | 3,131 | 2,774 | 2,929 | 3,008 |
| 5 to 14 weeks | 4,044 | 3,335 | 3,698 | 3,622 | 3,838 | 3,671 | 3,517 | 3,486 | 3,362 |
| 15 weeks and over | 4,828 | 8,534 | 8,986 | 4,762 | 8,405 | 8,804 | 8,976 | 8,969 | 8,945 |
| 15 to 26 weeks | 2,086 | 2,638 | 2,563 | 2,073 | 2,958 | 3,184 | 3,075 | 2,840 | 2,632 |
| 27 weeks and over | 2,742 | 5,896 | 6,423 | 2,689 | 5,447 | 5,620 | 5,901 | 6,130 | 6,313 |
| Average (mean) duration, in weeks | 18.8 | 29 | 28.9 | 19.9 | 26.5 | 27.2 | 28.6 | 29.1 | 30.2 |
| Median duration, in weeks | 10 | 20.2 | 18.6 | 10.6 | 17.8 | 19 | 20.2 | 20.5 | 19.9 |
| PERCENT DISTRIBUTION | |||||||||
| Less than 5 weeks | 31.8 | 19.5 | 21.5 | 30.2 | 19.4 | 20.1 | 18.2 | 19 | 19.6 |
| 5 to 14 weeks | 31.1 | 22.6 | 22.9 | 30.1 | 25.3 | 23.5 | 23 | 22.7 | 22 |
| 15 weeks and over | 37.1 | 57.9 | 55.6 | 39.6 | 55.4 | 56.4 | 58.8 | 58.3 | 58.4 |
| 15 to 26 weeks | 16 | 17.9 | 15.9 | 17.3 | 19.5 | 20.4 | 20.1 | 18.5 | 17.2 |
| 27 weeks and over | 21.1 | 40 | 39.8 | 22.4 | 35.9 | 36 | 38.7 | 39.8 | 41.2 |
| NOTE: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data. | |||||||||
P!
Guidance on Differences in Employment and Unemployment Estimates from Different Sources
There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.
Benjamin Disraeli
The % above 27 weeks is over 41%. The previous worst was 26% during the early 1980s.
Note the vastly higher number of people “unemployed for 27 weeks or longer” compared to “15-26 weeks” in every single category, which agrees with what many of have seen — if you don’t get a job right away, you’re out of the game for good.
I was unemployed for 9 weeks before I got a job offer. I thought that was an eternity — I’ve never been without a job for more than a week or maybe two. It would end up being 12 weeks by the time I packed up and relocated.
Most of my former colleagues who still live in CA (I packed up and moved to TX) are still unemployed. That puts them at the 33 week mark :(
January 21st was “one Year” for me and I don’t see any prospects in the near or far future!
About to lose the home that I have been paying on for over ten years now!
Fabulous post. This has been the DEFINING feature of this depression. Everyone is looking at the raw unemployment numbers, but it is duration of unemployment that really tells the tale here. There are no jobs. People are burning through savings, 401ks, selling assets, scaling back, moving back with mom and dad, doing without.
There are no new jobs.
Great post. Says is all. Thanks.
btt