The Fact
BLS annual-average data for 2025 show that more than four in ten unemployed workers ages 55–64 had been unemployed for 15 weeks or longer.
What This Means
The long-search problem begins well before the formal 27-week “long-term unemployment” line. A large portion of older unemployed workers were already several months into the search.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, Labor Force Statistics annual averages, 2025: duration of unemployment by age.