Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed that 2.4 million Americans are considered long-term unemployed as of September, an increase of 781,000. Long-term unemployed are people who have been unemployed for 27 weeks or more.
This is the largest month-over-month increase in this figure since data has been compiled on the subject.
In many states, workers receive up to 26 weeks of unemployment benefits, however, after the 2007-2008 crisis of overproduction 10 states cut the duration of these benefits.
The United States has a complicated system of benefit for the unemployed, where workers in different states will have different benefits available to them. For example, in June 2019 Alabama cut its maximum unemployment benefit to 14 weeks.
One of the provisions of the CARES Act in response to the pandemic and concurrent crisis was the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program. This program provided unemployment assistance but generally it only lasts for 39 or 46 weeks, and is expiring at the end of the year.
With millions of long-term unemployed Americans and a reduction in support, the effects of the crisis will press even harder on the most vulnerable in society. Under the capitalist system, the oligarchs continue to reap massive profits through their private ownership of the means of production.
The capitalist system is incapable of resolving long-term unemployment because unemployment drives down wages and serves to benefit the exploiting capitalist class.