#underemployment

#underemployment

The "low-hire, low-fire" US labor market is leaving millions on the outside looking in. It's not just recent college graduates who are struggling to find entry-level positions. Out-of-work mid-career employees are taking part-time jobs, and hiring has stalled in industries from professional services to manufacturing. More than a quarter of the jobless have been out of work more than a half-year - the highest share since the mid-2010s excluding the pandemic-era years.

"This is not a sudden development -- it's an issue that's been building up for years," said Ivan Gekht, CEO of Gehtsoft, a custom-design software development firm.