Over recent weeks, Parker Taylor reached a grim milestone in his work history.
The 29-year-old had been employed consistently since he was a teen, first on a factory floor and most recently in medical sales. But the St. Petersburg, Florida, resident hasn’t been able to start a new gig after losing his job shortly before the 2025 Thanksgiving holiday.
Taylor has become part of a group of more than 1.8 million Americans classified as long-term unemployed — which the government defines as jobless for at least 27 weeks — in a given month this year. That figure is up about 45% from 2019 and 55% from 2023, a CNBC analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data found.
“This can’t go on much longer without some type of catastrophic change to my life,” Taylor said. “That this era of my life could affect my long-term future — my family’s future, my future children’s future — is something that I go to sleep thinking about.”
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Studies also show there may be a link between long-term unemployment and depression. A Pew Research report found that the long-term unemployed were over two times more likely to seek professional help for depression or other mental health challenges compared with those without work for under three months.
“Other than the death of a family member or a close friend, this is one of the most devastating things that people face,” said Carl Van Horn, director of the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University. “It’s a very serious health problem and an economic problem.”