Long-term unemployment climbs despite low overall jobless rate, baffling workers

Jeremy one outlet, a 40-something former publishing director from Massachusetts, has been unemployed for two years even though the overall jobless rate remains historically low. Over a million Americans now face unemployment lasting at least 27 weeks, a share that has surged since early 2023 without a concurrent recession. Sociologist Ofer Sharone of UMass Amherst explains that when job seekers lack an obvious external reason, they often internalize the failure, harming confidence and mental health.

Workers such as 60-year-old Jon McCarty, who lost a software engineering position in 2022, suspect age discrimination after repeated interview rejections, while Kymberly McClain, a former nonprofit deputy director, now works in a call-center earning roughly half her prior salary. These stories illustrate how a tightening hiring climate, lingering pandemic-era pullback, and possible future recession are forcing many to accept lower-pay jobs or abandon the search altogether.