US average unemployment duration 27.1 weeks… long-term unemployment share 27.6%

The average duration of unemployment in the U.S. rose to 27.1 weeks in October on a seasonally adjusted basis, up from 24.8 weeks in September, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' employment situation report. The median duration also increased to 11.9 weeks from 11.5 weeks, while the number of people jobless for 27 weeks or longer stood at 1.963 million, little changed from 1.944 million in September. However, long-term unemployed workers climbed to 27.6% of all unemployed persons, the highest share since late 2021, up from 27.1% the prior month. The data matters because persistently long job-search durations signal a slowing rehiring pipeline even as headline unemployment counts hold roughly steady. Watch next month's report for whether the long-term share keeps climbing past its 2021 peak and whether the average duration extends further.