Layoff and job search statistics 2026: search length, reemployment by age, and pay

Average job search length in 2026

In September 2026 the median spell of unemployment in the US was 11.5 weeks and the average was 24.8 weeks, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The average is more than twice the median because a minority of searches run very long: 1.9 million people, 27.1% of everyone unemployed, had been looking for 27 weeks or more. Plan for the average, not the median.

These are the latest monthly figures from the Current Population Survey. BLS publishes new ones each month.

Search length by age

Age	Median weeks	Average weeks
16 to 19	6.8	13.5
20 to 24	9.5	20.4
25 to 34	10.3	22.7
35 to 44	10.7	25.0
45 to 54	11.8	27.0
55 to 64	11.3	26.7
65 and over	10.6	31.4
All ages, 16+	9.9	23.0

Exhibit 1. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, Table 31 (2025 annual averages; October 2025 not collected).

Searches get longer with age through the mid-50s. In 2025 the median spell was 10.3 weeks for people 25 to 34 and 11.8 weeks at 45 to 54; the average was 22.7 weeks and 27.0 weeks. At 55 to 64 the median was 11.3 weeks and the average 26.7. In September 2026, 30.7% of unemployed people aged 55 to 64 had been looking for 27 weeks or more (BLS Table A-36), against 27.1% for all ages. BLS notes that its 2025 annual figures average 11 months, because October wasn't collected during the federal government shutdown.

The unemployment rate itself is lower for older workers: 2.6% for people 55 and over in September 2026, against 4.2% overall. Fewer older workers lose their jobs, but those who do tend to look for longer.

Reemployment after a layoff, by age

Exhibit 2. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Worker Displacement: 2023-2025 (released August 27, 2026). Workers with 3+ years of tenure displaced January 2023 to December 2025.

The Displaced Worker Survey follows people who lost a job they had held for at least three years. Of the 3.3 million workers displaced from 2023 to 2025, 66.1% were working again in January 2026, 18.3% were still unemployed and 15.7% had left the labor force. The rate falls with age: 72.9% at 25 to 54, 57.3% at 55 to 64 and 38.6% at 65 and over.

If you're over 55, the runway calculator shows how long your savings, severance and benefits will last, and the job search after 50 covers what changes in the search itself.

Pay in the next job

Among displaced workers who had lost full-time jobs and were back in full-time work, about 49% earned as much as or more than they did before, BLS reported in August 2026. In the January 2024 survey it was about 62%. Fewer than half now match their old pay.

Unemployment benefits

In the second quarter of 2026, the average weekly unemployment benefit in the US was $500.61, and people drew regular benefits for an average of 15.76 weeks, according to the Department of Labor. That's well short of the 24.8-week average search, which is why severance, savings and benefits are worth adding up early. How severance affects benefits in each state is in unemployment benefits and severance pay by state.

Layoffs in 2026

Layoffs have slowed. Employers announced 617,189 job cuts from January to October 2026, down 44% from 1,099,500 in the same months of 2025, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas, which tracks announced job cuts. October's 43,994 announced cuts were the lowest for that month since 2023. In all of 2025, employers announced 1,206,374 cuts, up 58% from 2024. In the government's own count, layoffs and discharges were 1.6 million in September 2026, a rate of 1.0% (BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey).

Employers' side of the same picture, including what outplacement costs and how many firms offer it, is in FirstSourceTeam's outplacement statistics for 2026.

Working with FirstSourceTeam

FirstSourceTeam is a family-owned firm in Minneapolis, and we've coached people through job loss since 2006. The numbers above are why we start every search with a plan for the money as well as the job. If your employer offered outplacement as part of your severance, it's paid for and worth using: should you use employer-paid outplacement? The easiest first step is our free one-hour webinar, every Wednesday at 11 AM Central with John Schrup and Misty Schnuelle.