Long-term unemployment holds at 1.9 million Americans as voters head to the polls

About 1.9 million Americans had been unemployed for at least 27 weeks in September, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the government's jobs-data agency. That was 27.1 percent of all unemployed Americans ¹. The number was essentially unchanged from the month before ².

A new report from MyPerfectResume found long-term unemployment has risen 68 percent since 2023, from roughly 1.1 million people to 1.9 million. The share of jobless Americans out of work that long climbed from 19 percent to 26 percent in the same period, the report found ¹.

A steady rate that hides a weak market

The headline unemployment rate was 4.2 percent in September, and 7.1 million people were unemployed. The rate has stayed between 4.1 and 4.3 percent since March ¹.

Hiring is weak, though. Employers added just 29,000 jobs in September, well below the roughly 90,000 economists had expected ¹². July and August were also revised down by a combined 60,000 jobs ².

From Channel GOPTrump on pardoning officials: "I'd be allowed toDonald Trump · 190 plays · captioned, with the source named

The source described this as a "low-hire, low-fire" market, meaning few people are being laid off but few are being hired ¹. MyPerfectResume found hiring at its lowest rate in the 11 years it studied, while layoffs stayed below pre-pandemic levels ¹.

Kevin Thompson, CEO of 9i Capital Group, said anyone laid off now should expect three to six months or more without work, or a significant pay cut. He said employers facing rising prices and uncertainty are holding back on hiring ¹.

Thompson also said weekly continuing jobless claims can make the market look more stable than it is. People whose benefits run out are dropped from that count even if they have not found work ¹.

What voters say

A Pew Research Center survey from early October found 84 percent of registered voters called the economy very important to their vote. That included 88 percent of Democrats and 82 percent of Republicans ¹.

A RealClearPolling average for October 9 through October 30 found 32.9 percent approved of President Donald Trump's handling of the economy, and 64.7 percent disapproved ¹. In an October CNBC survey, 8 in 10 people called the economy fair or poor ¹.

HR consultant Bryan Driscoll said long stretches without work are especially hard on older job seekers ¹.

That matters because many readers over 55 know how hard it is to get back in after a layoff. Whether this helps either party on Tuesday is unclear. Thompson said he did not know, since many Americans have lived with these pressures so long that assigning blame has become difficult ¹.

The Record

1. Nov 2, 2026BLS data show 1.9 million Americans unemployed 27 weeks or longer in September, 27.1% of the unemployed, with the jobless rate at 4.2% ¹².
2. Oct 2, 2026September jobs report shows employers added 29,000 jobs, and July and August were revised down by a combined 60,000 ².
3. Nov 2, 2026A MyPerfectResume report finds long-term unemployment up 68% since 2023, one day before the midterm election ¹.

Free to reprint Republish this story on your site or in your newsletter

Any site, blog or newsletter may run this story free of charge. Keep the credit line and its link to the original, do not sell it, and edit only for length or house style (the full terms). Photos carry their own licenses, noted under each photo on this page, so use the text alone unless a credit says otherwise.

<h2>Long-term unemployment holds at 1.9 million Americans as voters head to the polls</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files Kitchen-Table Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/long-term-unemployment-holds-at-1-9-million-americans-as-voters-head-to-the-polls">The GOP Files</a> on Monday, November 2, 2026.</em></p> <p>About 1.9 million Americans had been unemployed for at least 27 weeks in September, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the government&#39;s jobs-data agency. That was 27.1 percent of all unemployed Americans . The number was essentially unchanged from the month before .</p> <p>A new report from MyPerfectResume found long-term unemployment has risen 68 percent since 2023, from roughly 1.1 million people to 1.9 million. The share of jobless Americans out of work that long climbed from 19 percent to 26 percent in the same period, the report found .</p> <h2>A steady rate that hides a weak market</h2> <p>The headline unemployment rate was 4.2 percent in September, and 7.1 million people were unemployed. The rate has stayed between 4.1 and 4.3 percent since March .</p> <p>Hiring is weak, though. Employers added just 29,000 jobs in September, well below the roughly 90,000 economists had expected . July and August were also revised down by a combined 60,000 jobs .</p> <p>The source described this as a &quot;low-hire, low-fire&quot; market, meaning few people are being laid off but few are being hired . MyPerfectResume found hiring at its lowest rate in the 11 years it studied, while layoffs stayed below pre-pandemic levels .</p> <p>Kevin Thompson, CEO of 9i Capital Group, said anyone laid off now should expect three to six months or more without work, or a significant pay cut. He said employers facing rising prices and uncertainty are holding back on hiring .</p> <p>Thompson also said weekly continuing jobless claims can make the market look more stable than it is. People whose benefits run out are dropped from that count even if they have not found work .</p> <h2>What voters say</h2> <p>A Pew Research Center survey from early October found 84 percent of registered voters called the economy very important to their vote. That included 88 percent of Democrats and 82 percent of Republicans .</p> <p>A RealClearPolling average for October 9 through October 30 found 32.9 percent approved of President Donald Trump&#39;s handling of the economy, and 64.7 percent disapproved . In an October CNBC survey, 8 in 10 people called the economy fair or poor .</p> <p>HR consultant Bryan Driscoll said long stretches without work are especially hard on older job seekers .</p> <p>That matters because many readers over 55 know how hard it is to get back in after a layoff. Whether this helps either party on Tuesday is unclear. Thompson said he did not know, since many Americans have lived with these pressures so long that assigning blame has become difficult .</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/long-term-unemployment-holds-at-1-9-million-americans-as-voters-head-to-the-polls">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/long-term-unemployment-holds-at-1-9-million-americans-as-voters-head-to-the-polls.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

Copy the HTML Paste it into your editor's HTML view. The one-pixel image at the end tells our newsroom the story ran; it stores no reader data.

Sources

1. Newsweek, “Number of Americans Unemployed for 6 Months Has Surged Ahead of Midterms” (2026-11-02). newsweek.com/number-of-americans-unemployed-for-6-months-has
2. Fox Business, “US economy added 29,000 jobs in September, a slower pace than expected” (2026-10-02). foxbusiness.com/economy/us-jobs-report-september-2026

Found an error? Tell the newsroom. Corrections are noted at the top of the story.