Duration of Unemployment

2013-06-07T06:56:36-07:00

Unemployment duration — the length of time spent unemployed — tells us something about how difficult it is for out of work persons to reenter the world of employment. As of May 2013, the average length of unemployment was 36.9 weeks.

Average and Median Unemployment Duration

This is simply the average and median duration of unemployment for workers. The definition of unemployment for each is the same as the standard headline unemployment (i.e. U-3).

Unemployment Duration	May 2013	Month/Month (Weeks)	Year/Year (Weeks)
Average	36.9 wks	+0.4	-2.7
Median	17.3 wks	-0.2	-2.8

Unemployment Duration: Average, Median

Note: Recessions shown in gray

Percent of Unemployed by Duration of Unemployment

These two metrics help us divide the unemployed into groups that have been unemployed for short and long periods. An increasing fraction unemployed persons who have been looking for work for more than 15 weeks (roughly 3.5 months) is generally regarded as a sign of a more difficult labor market.

Unemployment Duration	May 2013 Fraction of Unemployed	Month/Month (Points)	Year/Year (Points)
Under 15 Weeks	46.0%	+0.3	+1.8
15+ Weeks	54.0%	-0.3	-1.8

Fraction of Unemployed by Duration of Unemployment: Under 15 Weeks, 15+ Weeks

Percent of Unemployed by Duration of Unemployment (More Granular)

This is the same metric as above just divided into more granular segments.

Unemployment Duration	May 2013 Fraction of Unemployed	Month/Month (Points)	Year/Year (Points)
Under 5 Weeks	23.2%	+1.9	+2.7
5-14 Weeks	22.8%	-1.7	-0.9
15-26 Weeks	16.7%	-0.2	+3.3
27+ Weeks	37.3%	-0.1	-5.1

Fraction of Unemployed by Duration of Unemployment: Under 5 Weeks, 5-14 Weeks, 15-26 Weeks, 27+ Weeks

Note: Sorry, those last two charts should really be area charts. It's on the todo list...