Unemployment Now Lasts Longer Than Benefits

By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 3, 2009 9:54 AM CDT
Unemployment Now Lasts Longer Than Benefits
Bob Hillman, right, the National Career Fairs event coordinator, right, talks to attendees prior to the start of a job fair in Richmond, Va., Friday, Oct. 2, 2009.   (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

A rough milestone on the jobless front: The average length of time it takes to find a job—26.2 weeks—now exceeds the standard length of unemployment benefits—26 weeks. That's first time it's happened since the Labor Department began keeping stats 60 years ago, reports Bloomberg. The bit of good news for job-seekers is that Congress has temporarily extended benefits up to 59 weeks in hard-hit states and is working on another extension.
(More jobless stories.)

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