The Long-Term Unemployment Signal the Market Is Ignoring

While job openings surged to 7.6 million in April—the highest in nearly two years—long-term unemployment is quietly rising. Lucas and Luna dig into the Bureau of Labor Statistics data to show why the share of jobless workers out of work for 27 weeks or more is approaching levels that historically precede recessions. They explore how skills erosion, employer screening algorithms, and the 'double scar' from the pandemic and tariff disruptions are creating a structural mismatch that the headline payroll numbers don't capture. With the unemployment rate stuck at 4.3 percent and initial jobless claims creeping up, this episode asks whether the labor market is stronger on the surface than it is underneath. A focused look at one underappreciated recession signal. #LongTermUnemployment #LaborMarket #RecessionWarning #JOLTS #JobOpenings #StructuralUnemployment #SkillsErosion #DoubleScar #BureauOfLaborStatistics #UnemploymentRate #InitialJoblessClaims #Economics #RecessionWatch #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #LaborEconomics #EmploymentData #MacroSignals Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo