Unemployed Americans have been searching for work for an average of more than 11 weeks—the highest rate since the start of the pandemic—according to U.S. Department of Labor data released on January 26. This finding was reported by the Financial Times, citing official labor statistics.
Additionally, approximately 26% of the 7.5 million unemployed Americans actively seeking work have been searching for employment for more than six months.
Corey Stale, an economist at Indeed, stated: “If we don’t take into account the pandemic, we are now seeing the highest rate in the last decade, and it continues to grow.” Stale emphasized that while some attribute job declines to AI technologies, vacancies have decreased in non-technology sectors such as hospitality.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics previously confirmed a cooling labor market, with only 50,000 jobs added in December 2025—significantly below the projected 70,000. Separately, over 41,000 jobs were lost in two months during last December, pushing the unemployment rate to its highest level of 4.6% since 2021. Organizations have suspended hiring due to rising taxes and inflation.
