Unemployment Numbers: The Long View

Social science policy researcher Colin Gordon's article, "Unemployment Numbers: The Long View," is featured in this month's Dissent magazine. The article evaluates the 2012 December jobs report in relation to all other postwar recessions. Despite the December jobs report depicting "steady monthly growth," Gordon's findings show that in contrast to the other recessions "the current downturn is deeper and longer—by an impressive margin—than any that preceded it."

Gordon concludes his evaluation of the report with the declaration that the quality of jobs or "good jobs" deficit is even worse this recession compared to previous ones.

In addition to the text, Gordon has created a colorful graphic to further illustrate his findings. One can access the full article and graphic here. Gordon is a frequent contributor to Dissent magazine, a non-profit quarterly magazine which focuses on politics and culture topics.