The number of Americans struggling to find work for six months or longer has surged ahead of the midterm elections, according to a new survey. About 1.9 million Americans were unemployed for at least 27 weeks in September, according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data. That represented 27.1 percent of all unemployed Americans.
And now a new report from MyPerfectResume found long-term unemployment increased 68 percent since 2023, from roughly 1.1 million people to 1.9 million. On top of that, the share of unemployed Americans out of work for at least 27 weeks has risen from 19 percent to 26 percent. The findings come just before Tuesday's midterms, where it’s likely that the economy and affordability will weigh heavily on voters.
A Pew Research Center survey from last month found that 84 percent of registered voters considered the economy very important to their vote, including 82 percent of Republicans and 88 percent of Democrats. The long-term unemployment figures reflect a weakness in the labor market that isn't necessarily apparent from the headline unemployment rate. Unemployment was 4.2 percent in September, and 7.1 million people were unemployed, according to BLS.
The rate has remained within a relatively narrow 4.1 percent to 4.3 percent range since March. Yet employers added just 29,000 jobs in September, indicating a "low-hire, low-fire" environment. The MyPerfectResume study found that the share of unemployed Americans who had been without work for 27 weeks or longer increased from 19 percent in 2023 to 26 percent.
The number of long-term unemployed people had also climbed from about 1.1 million to 1.9 million, an increase of 68 percent. Additionally, BLS reported 1.9 million long-term unemployed Americans in September, representing 27.1 percent of the country's unemployed population. Employers are dealing with rising prices and significant economic uncertainty, which has many keeping their hands in their pockets until they get some clarity on where the overall economy is headed,” Thompson said.
Hiring has also fallen to its lowest rate over the 11 years studied, even as layoffs remained below pre-pandemic levels, according to MyPerfectResume. "Employers still insist on antiquated interview questions about gaps in employment while demanding increasingly specific qualifications and requiring candidates to jump through endless hoops. This system makes individual workers responsible for a problem they didn't create.” The labor market data arrive at an especially sensitive political moment for President Donald Trump and Republicans.
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