Long-term unemployed down to 1.3 million in November
December 12, 2018
In November 2018, the unemployment rate was 3.7 percent for the third month in a row, and the number of unemployed persons was little changed at 6.0 million. The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) declined by 120,000 to 1.3 million in November. These individuals accounted for 20.8 percent of the unemployed.
Duration of unemployment, seasonally adjusted
Month
Less than 5 weeks
5–14 weeks
15–26 weeks
27 weeks and over
Nov 2007
2,645,000
2,241,000
992000
1,374,000
Dec 2007
2,718,000
2,376,000
1,177,000
1,324,000
Jan 2008
2,554,000
2,406,000
1,152,000
1,388,000
Feb 2008
2,653,000
2,370,000
1,116,000
1,329,000
Mar 2008
2,823,000
2,537,000
1,168,000
1,323,000
Apr 2008
2,493,000
2,574,000
1,314,000
1,372,000
May 2008
3,278,000
2,476,000
1,219,000
1,561,000
Jun 2008
2,753,000
3,016,000
1,337,000
1,576,000
Jul 2008
2,854,000
2,833,000
1,450,000
1,664,000
Aug 2008
3,256,000
2,758,000
1,554,000
1,866,000
Sep 2008
2,848,000
3,035,000
1,599,000
2,027,000
Oct 2008
3,170,000
3,055,000
1,710,000
2,280,000
Nov 2008
3,335,000
3,260,000
1,704,000
2,219,000
Dec 2008
3,255,000
3,498,000
1,936,000
2,610,000
Jan 2009
3,524,000
3,662,000
2,065,000
2,699,000
Feb 2009
3,450,000
3,936,000
2,456,000
2,999,000
Mar 2009
3,465,000
4,122,000
2,625,000
3,260,000
Apr 2009
3,338,000
4,138,000
2,634,000
3,752,000
May 2009
3,246,000
4,458,000
3,049,000
3,973,000
Jun 2009
3,114,000
4,052,000
3,488,000
4,349,000
Jul 2009
3,137,000
3,505,000
2,923,000
4,917,000
Aug 2009
2,940,000
3,927,000
2,791,000
5,037,000
Sep 2009
2,841,000
3,775,000
2,908,000
5,494,000
Oct 2009
3,223,000
3,552,000
3,006,000
5,643,000
Nov 2009
2,816,000
3,457,000
2,847,000
5,908,000
Dec 2009
2,879,000
3,457,000
2,712,000
6,122,000
Jan 2010
2,921,000
3,390,000
2,574,000
6,319,000
Feb 2010
2,807,000
3,390,000
2,793,000
6,129,000
Mar 2010
2,769,000
3,294,000
2,542,000
6,545,000
Apr 2010
2,725,000
3,086,000
2,330,000
6,800,000
May 2010
2,773,000
3,127,000
2,260,000
6,638,000
Jun 2010
2,683,000
3,159,000
2,284,000
6,623,000
Jul 2010
2,806,000
2,972,000
2,208,000
6,506,000
Aug 2010
2,671,000
3,534,000
2,162,000
6,259,000
Sep 2010
2,819,000
3,308,000
2,291,000
6,163,000
Oct 2010
2,655,000
3,345,000
2,387,000
6,227,000
Nov 2010
2,912,000
3,321,000
2,370,000
6,326,000
Dec 2010
2,693,000
3,169,000
2,120,000
6,429,000
Jan 2011
2,686,000
3,033,000
2,218,000
6,175,000
Feb 2011
2,469,000
3,118,000
2,284,000
5,892,000
Mar 2011
2,535,000
2,980,000
2,061,000
6,105,000
Apr 2011
2,787,000
2,987,000
2,090,000
5,925,000
May 2011
2,668,000
2,903,000
2,052,000
6,153,000
Jun 2011
2,933,000
2,987,000
1,871,000
6,271,000
Jul 2011
2,632,000
2,931,000
1,982,000
6,195,000
Aug 2011
2,650,000
2,989,000
2,199,000
6,048,000
Sep 2011
2,754,000
2,881,000
2,012,000
6,304,000
Oct 2011
2,668,000
3,250,000
1,964,000
5,838,000
Nov 2011
2,556,000
2,913,000
2,009,000
5,698,000
Dec 2011
2,678,000
2,873,000
1,959,000
5,586,000
Jan 2012
2,474,000
2,908,000
1,957,000
5,476,000
Feb 2012
2,610,000
2,848,000
2,051,000
5,242,000
Mar 2012
2,708,000
2,788,000
1,940,000
5,236,000
Apr 2012
2,624,000
2,878,000
1,940,000
5,132,000
May 2012
2,550,000
3,006,000
1,690,000
5,401,000
Jun 2012
2,747,000
2,806,000
1,817,000
5,409,000
Jul 2012
2,662,000
2,984,000
1,773,000
5,210,000
Aug 2012
2,784,000
2,811,000
1,846,000
5,042,000
Sep 2012
2,538,000
2,819,000
1,863,000
4,911,000
Oct 2012
2,635,000
2,859,000
1,796,000
4,988,000
Nov 2012
2,620,000
2,776,000
1,745,000
4,805,000
Dec 2012
2,756,000
2,901,000
1,861,000
4,768,000
Jan 2013
2,780,000
3,115,000
1,891,000
4,681,000
Feb 2013
2,713,000
2,799,000
1,766,000
4,691,000
Mar 2013
2,462,000
2,826,000
1,830,000
4,563,000
Apr 2013
2,487,000
2,908,000
1,953,000
4,468,000
May 2013
2,674,000
2,631,000
1,986,000
4,347,000
Jun 2013
2,680,000
2,851,000
1,876,000
4,355,000
Jul 2013
2,493,000
2,768,000
1,791,000
4,258,000
Aug 2013
2,475,000
2,688,000
1,677,000
4,296,000
Sep 2013
2,604,000
2,691,000
1,797,000
4,132,000
Oct 2013
2,823,000
2,639,000
1,737,000
4,024,000
Nov 2013
2,409,000
2,586,000
1,695,000
4,042,000
Dec 2013
2,328,000
2,545,000
1,676,000
3,863,000
Jan 2014
2,477,000
2,434,000
1,733,000
3,604,000
Feb 2014
2,391,000
2,593,000
1,616,000
3,782,000
Mar 2014
2,439,000
2,566,000
1,710,000
3,697,000
Apr 2014
2,418,000
2,390,000
1,508,000
3,468,000
May 2014
2,584,000
2,366,000
1,428,000
3,352,000
Jun 2014
2,420,000
2,428,000
1,502,000
3,118,000
Jul 2014
2,579,000
2,410,000
1,474,000
3,145,000
Aug 2014
2,619,000
2,383,000
1,501,000
2,965,000
Sep 2014
2,358,000
2,545,000
1,434,000
2,954,000
Oct 2014
2,494,000
2,292,000
1,392,000
2,901,000
Nov 2014
2,474,000
2,396,000
1,381,000
2,827,000
Dec 2014
2,371,000
2,317,000
1,263,000
2,801,000
Jan 2015
2,403,000
2,320,000
1,431,000
2,765,000
Feb 2015
2,435,000
2,240,000
1,329,000
2,656,000
Mar 2015
2,458,000
2,318,000
1,233,000
2,536,000
Apr 2015
2,691,000
2,382,000
1,102,000
2,545,000
May 2015
2,454,000
2,512,000
1,249,000
2,496,000
Jun 2015
2,322,000
2,396,000
1,392,000
2,169,000
Jul 2015
2,541,000
2,216,000
1,261,000
2,141,000
Aug 2015
2,079,000
2,304,000
1,283,000
2,179,000
Sep 2015
2,339,000
2,250,000
1,233,000
2,107,000
Oct 2015
2,358,000
2,273,000
1,202,000
2,146,000
Nov 2015
2,382,000
2,291,000
1,248,000
2,068,000
Dec 2015
2,399,000
2,197,000
1,229,000
2,128,000
Jan 2016
2,226,000
2,293,000
1,172,000
2,068,000
Feb 2016
2,283,000
2,224,000
1,140,000
2,137,000
Mar 2016
2,411,000
2,192,000
1,157,000
2,205,000
Apr 2016
2,575,000
2,158,000
1,265,000
2,085,000
May 2016
2,241,000
2,276,000
1,122,000
1,892,000
Jun 2016
2,410,000
2,185,000
1,146,000
2,025,000
Jul 2016
2,213,000
2,254,000
1,230,000
1,979,000
Aug 2016
2,309,000
2,284,000
1,082,000
1,990,000
Sep 2016
2,565,000
2,256,000
1,163,000
1,959,000
Oct 2016
2,418,000
2,271,000
1,160,000
1,982,000
Nov 2016
2,391,000
2,156,000
1,055,000
1,862,000
Dec 2016
2,359,000
2,136,000
1,191,000
1,869,000
Jan 2017
2,452,000
2,081,000
1,229,000
1,825,000
Feb 2017
2,572,000
2,129,000
1,047,000
1,766,000
Mar 2017
2,296,000
2,088,000
1,064,000
1,660,000
Apr 2017
2,300,000
2,140,000
1,087,000
1,633,000
May 2017
2,123,000
1,958,000
1,123,000
1,665,000
Jun 2017
2,301,000
1,942,000
937000
1,715,000
Jul 2017
2,135,000
2,006,000
1,022,000
1,757,000
Aug 2017
2,221,000
1,996,000
1,067,000
1,735,000
Sep 2017
2,223,000
1,879,000
962000
1,733,000
Oct 2017
2,128,000
1,943,000
856000
1,645,000
Nov 2017
2,253,000
1,894,000
921000
1,593,000
Dec 2017
2,235,000
1,994,000
882000
1,515,000
Jan 2018
2,280,000
1,943,000
981000
1,421,000
Feb 2018
2,508,000
1,906,000
934000
1,397,000
Mar 2018
2,287,000
2,009,000
880000
1,322,000
Apr 2018
2,115,000
2,017,000
1,036,000
1,293,000
May 2018
2,034,000
1,945,000
977000
1,189,000
Jun 2018
2,227,000
1,882,000
836000
1,478,000
Jul 2018
2,091,000
1,820,000
971000
1,435,000
Aug 2018
2,208,000
1,720,000
923000
1,332,000
Sep 2018
2,065,000
1,720,000
861000
1,384,000
Oct 2018
2,057,000
1,821,000
856000
1,373,000
Nov 2018
2,126,000
1,813,000
839000
1,253,000
In November, there were 2.1 million unemployed for less than 5 weeks, accounting for about 35 percent of all unemployed. About 1.8 million were unemployed for 5 to 14 weeks, accounting for about 30 percent of all unemployed.
These data are from the Current Population Survey . For more information, see “The Employment Situation — November 2018 .” We also have more charts on unemployment and the labor force.
OF INTEREST
Recent editions of Spotlight on Statistics
Fatal Injuries to Foreign-Born Hispanic or Latino Workers For-Profit, Nonprofit, and Government Sector Jobs in 2022 Union Membership, Activity, and Compensation in 2022 A Look at a Neat Industry: Distilleries Healthcare Occupations: Characteristics of the Employed
United States Department of Labor
