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How long before the unemployed find jobs or quit looking?

Chart 2. Share of the unemployed who were jobless for less than 5 weeks who became employed or left the labor force in the subsequent month, not seasonally adjusted 12-month moving average, January 1995–December 2010
Month Became Employed Left the labor force

Jan 1995

 36.12 23.07

Feb 1995

 36.73 23.14

Mar 1995

 37.11 22.75

Apr 1995

 37.08 22.72

May 1995

 37.18 22.88

Jun 1995

 37.25 22.64

Jul 1995

 37.05 22.43

Aug 1995

 37.24 22.46

Sep 1995

 37.15 22.81

Oct 1995

 37.24 22.93

Nov 1995

 37.61 22.76

Dec 1995

 36.93 22.70

Jan 1996

 36.99 22.86

Feb 1996

 37.12 22.87

Mar 1996

 37.01 23.30

Apr 1996

 36.81 23.28

May 1996

 37.17 23.26

Jun 1996

 37.02 23.49

Jul 1996

 37.44 23.65

Aug 1996

 37.63 23.70

Sep 1996

 37.65 23.77

Oct 1996

 37.71 23.76

Nov 1996

 37.74 23.80

Dec 1996

 37.78 23.84

Jan 1997

 37.93 23.72

Feb 1997

 37.56 23.72

Mar 1997

 37.63 23.58

Apr 1997

 37.87 23.68

May 1997

 38.04 23.54

Jun 1997

 38.36 23.25

Jul 1997

 38.35 23.31

Aug 1997

 38.15 23.62

Sep 1997

 37.99 23.59

Oct 1997

 38.42 23.52

Nov 1997

 38.19 23.39

Dec 1997

 38.84 23.44

Jan 1998

 38.83 23.46

Feb 1998

 39.09 23.53

Mar 1998

 38.82 23.54

Apr 1998

 39.26 23.55

May 1998

 38.92 23.52

Jun 1998

 38.91 23.26

Jul 1998

 39.00 23.32

Aug 1998

 39.11 23.14

Sep 1998

 39.40 23.05

Oct 1998

 39.37 23.06

Nov 1998

 39.22 23.33

Dec 1998

 38.95 23.51

Jan 1999

 39.09 23.55

Feb 1999

 39.00 23.54

Mar 1999

 39.61 23.45

Apr 1999

 39.08 23.54

May 1999

 39.16 23.64

Jun 1999

 39.37 23.74

Jul 1999

 39.43 23.72

Aug 1999

 39.41 23.59

Sep 1999

 39.68 23.14

Oct 1999

 39.39 23.21

Nov 1999

 40.08 22.78

Dec 1999

 40.53 22.70

Jan 2000

 40.87 22.52

Feb 2000

 40.74 22.51

Mar 2000

 40.60 22.68

Apr 2000

 40.88 22.35

May 2000

 40.60 22.52

Jun 2000

 40.86 22.84

Jul 2000

 40.54 22.76

Aug 2000

 40.62 22.95

Sep 2000

 40.75 23.20

Oct 2000

 40.94 23.01

Nov 2000

 40.83 23.15

Dec 2000

 39.97 23.09

Jan 2001

 39.60 23.11

Feb 2001

 40.16 23.01

Mar 2001

 39.96 22.94

Apr 2001

 39.83 22.97

May 2001

 40.34 22.74

Jun 2001

 40.07 22.63

Jul 2001

 40.04 22.63

Aug 2001

 39.92 22.52

Sep 2001

 39.34 22.45

Oct 2001

 38.62 22.67

Nov 2001

 38.24 22.48

Dec 2001

 38.34 22.48

Jan 2002

 37.92 22.34

Feb 2002

 37.59 22.27

Mar 2002

 37.26 21.86

Apr 2002

 36.74 21.63

May 2002

 36.28 21.52

Jun 2002

 35.47 21.50

Jul 2002

 34.95 21.74

Aug 2002

 34.83 21.61

Sep 2002

 34.78 21.70

Oct 2002

 34.73 21.60

Nov 2002

 34.54 21.71

Dec 2002

 34.18 21.63

Jan 2003

 34.13 21.81

Feb 2003

 33.53 22.04

Mar 2003

 33.17 22.65

Apr 2003

 33.26 22.87

May 2003

 33.43 22.86

Jun 2003

 33.33 22.87

Jul 2003

 33.33 22.70

Aug 2003

 33.27 22.71

Sep 2003

 32.77 22.69

Oct 2003

 33.10 22.76

Nov 2003

 32.88 23.01

Dec 2003

 33.33 23.19

Jan 2004

 33.74 22.89

Feb 2004

 33.73 22.96

Mar 2004

 33.95 22.81

Apr 2004

 34.24 22.71

May 2004

 33.97 22.84

Jun 2004

 33.87 22.82

Jul 2004

 34.42 22.72

Aug 2004

 34.12 22.80

Sep 2004

 34.90 22.94

Oct 2004

 34.78 22.94

Nov 2004

 35.00 22.81

Dec 2004

 35.06 22.83

Jan 2005

 34.81 22.98

Feb 2005

 35.11 22.74

Mar 2005

 35.33 22.72

Apr 2005

 35.26 22.85

May 2005

 35.06 22.95

Jun 2005

 35.36 23.13

Jul 2005

 34.86 23.38

Aug 2005

 35.19 23.49

Sep 2005

 34.79 23.55

Oct 2005

 34.78 23.65

Nov 2005

 34.85 23.52

Dec 2005

 34.76 23.87

Jan 2006

 34.95 24.09

Feb 2006

 35.25 24.19

Mar 2006

 35.61 24.33

Apr 2006

 35.45 24.50

May 2006

 35.45 24.71

Jun 2006

 36.01 24.52

Jul 2006

 36.25 24.55

Aug 2006

 36.19 24.56

Sep 2006

 36.59 24.36

Oct 2006

 36.54 24.47

Nov 2006

 36.73 24.29

Dec 2006

 36.93 24.03

Jan 2007

 36.80 23.89

Feb 2007

 37.02 23.98

Mar 2007

 37.30 23.76

Apr 2007

 37.30 23.36

May 2007

 37.76 22.93

Jun 2007

 37.52 23.19

Jul 2007

 37.34 23.14

Aug 2007

 37.50 23.09

Sep 2007

 37.08 23.15

Oct 2007

 37.19 22.70

Nov 2007

 37.21 22.76

Dec 2007

 36.96 22.51

Jan 2008

 36.81 22.49

Feb 2008

 36.58 22.46

Mar 2008

 36.18 22.22

Apr 2008

 36.18 22.45

May 2008

 36.15 22.62

Jun 2008

 35.51 22.21

Jul 2008

 35.38 21.91

Aug 2008

 35.04 22.05

Sep 2008

 34.89 21.96

Oct 2008

 35.01 21.96

Nov 2008

 34.26 21.96

Dec 2008

 33.78 21.87

Jan 2009

 33.42 21.56

Feb 2009

 32.39 21.14

Mar 2009

 31.61 21.16

Apr 2009

 31.31 20.96

May 2009

 30.35 20.75

Jun 2009

 30.20 20.56

Jul 2009

 30.03 20.64

Aug 2009

 29.50 20.28

Sep 2009

 29.39 20.02

Oct 2009

 29.01 19.96

Nov 2009

 28.97 19.94

Dec 2009

 29.07 20.04

Jan 2010

 29.27 19.89

Feb 2010

 29.58 20.21

Mar 2010

 30.01 20.21

Apr 2010

 30.34 20.12

May 2010

 30.68 20.36

Jun 2010

 30.65 20.65

Jul 2010

 30.81 20.71

Aug 2010

 30.92 20.74

Sep 2010

 30.69 21.13

Oct 2010

 30.40 21.22

Nov 2010

 30.19 21.30

Dec 2010

 30.4 21.2

NOTE: Shaded areas represent recessions as determined by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER).
Duration is based on the number of weeks unemployed in the month before becoming employed or leaving the labor force and, therefore, is somewhat understated.

These data featured in the Issues in Labor Statistics article, How long before the unemployed find jobs or quit looking?.

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