Study Proves the Longer You're Out of a Job, the Harder It is to Get One

Fake resumes reveal staggering stats

The unemployed know well and good how hard it is to get a job, but economists have recently proven the difficulties with data found after sending out 12,000 fake resumes to over 3,000 job listings. Researchers designed the resumes so that the fictional candidates were equally qualified, with the only difference being the length of time they've been out of work. From 0-6 months, the percentage of callbacks gradually declines from about 7 percent. After 6 months of being jobless, there's only a 4 percent chance you'll get called in for an interview, a 45 percent plummet.  "The labor market penalizes you for being out of work. Firms will use the number of months you've been out of work as a 'proxy' or 'signal' of how productive you are," said Kory Kroft, co-author of the study. Long-term unemployment is defined as those out of work for 27 weeks or more. (NBC News)

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