‘Why Am I Not Getting a Job?’: Months of No Work Show Risks (1)

The ranks of America’s long-term unemployed are swelling as the pandemic nears a full year, increasing the likelihood of lasting impacts on their finances, health and wages.

While 12.3 million jobs have come back since the pandemic low in April, nearly 4 million Americans have been out of work for at least 27 weeks. That’s considered the threshold for long-term unemployment and the group is at a seven-year high.

Many of them will need to rely on government aid for longer as a resurgent pandemic made 2020 a historically challenging year for job seekers.

Prolonged unemployment harms physical and mental ...