About 1.9 million Americans had been unemployed for 27 weeks or longer in September, 27.1% of all unemployed people, BLS said. For job seekers, the figure is a reminder that a low-layoff market can still be a hard one to re-enter.
The 4.1% unemployment rate counts only people actively searching. Broader measures put underutilization at 7.7%, and job searches are running longer than a year ago.
