The long-term unemployed are still struggling to find work

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last updated 8 January 2015

FiveThirtyEight's Ben Casselman points to the fact that the job-finding rate is increasing for the short-term unemployed, but not the long-term:

How come? One factor is the poor health of the long-term unemployed. As I pointed out last week, obese Americans are more likely to be unemployed longer. Being out of work, particularly for the long-term unemployed, can itself make someone more likely to become obese. And unemployment can cause depression, another factor that makes obesity likelier. Another factor is that skills corrode as a result of long-term unemployment. This means employers are more hesitant to employ someone who has become long-term unemployed.

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John Aziz is the economics and business correspondent at TheWeek.com. He is also an associate editor at Pieria.co.uk. Previously his work has appeared on Business Insider, Zero Hedge, and Noahpinion.

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