Longer Job Search, No Matter What the Outcome

Whether a person’s job search ends in victory or defeat, the recession has made it longer.

In a hard fought battle on Capital Hill last December, unemployment benefits were extended to a maximum of 99 weeks.  Of course, 99 weeks is the upper limit, and many people will find a job before their benefit run out.  How long does the typical person remain unemployed?

According to a report released this month by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median number of weeks jobseekers had been unemployed in the month prior to their finding work has doubled during the recession, from a median of 5 weeks in 2007 to a median of 10 week by the end of 2010.

Aside from getting a job, there is another way that an unemployed person may no l0nger be counted as unemployed: give up on looking.  Maybe they’re supported by family or close friends.  Maybe they’re disabled and collect disability insurance.  Maybe they find work off the books somewhere, but they are no longer part of official unemployment statistics.  You might think in the current economy, jobseekers would be likely to give up quicker, feeling there are no jobs so what’s the point.  But, according to the BLS report, the recession seems to have also lengthened the job search for people who eventually just stop looking.  “Unemployed individuals were jobless for about 20 weeks in 2010 before giving up their job search and leaving the labor force.  Whereas in 2007, those who were not successful in their job search had been unemployed for about 8.5 weeks before leaving the labor force.”

Apparently the knowledge that it’s harder to find a job now allows people to blame the economy instead of themselves.  Knowing that a job search should take longer, they are willing to give it more time before finally giving up.