February 25, 2026
As of January 2026, the average unemployment stint for U.S.-based job seekers was a little over 11 weeks — about three months.
The amount in some American savings accounts does not match how long it takes for those facing unemployment to find jobs.
Data from a Federal Reserve survey shows that close to half of Americans fail to have three months’ worth of expenses saved for emergencies or a “rainy day,” adding to the stress of not being able to pay bills during unemployment stints, Business Insider reports.
Michele Wilke from Chicago found herself in that category after realizing she had less than $2,000 in her bank account following being laid off from her job. Concerned about being evicted from her apartment, she was forced to start a GoFundMe, raising roughly $3,000, and borrowed money from friends, accumulating over $20,000 in personal debt.
She remained unemployed for eight months before finally landing a role as a catering sales manager in September 2025. “My goal is to make some money and pay off my debt,” Wilke said. “I want a fresh start.”
Wilke’s story is one of an ever-growing tale of how long bouts of joblessness can last in comparison to the rising cost of living expenses such as groceries, rent, and other essentials, squeezing the life out of household budgets.
As of January 2026, the average unemployment stint for American-based job seekers was a little over 11 weeks — about three months — which is a massive increase from eight weeks in 2022. That’s not even the worst of it. During the same period, one-fourth of unemployed Americans had been looking for work for almost seven months or more.
Others put in the unemployed category have described the job search as a “ticking time bomb.” Joanelle Cobos said that by the time she was laid off as a design manager at Amazon, her emergency fund had grown to about $25,000. However, she touched on that if being jobless continues, the Las Vegas native says it will soon run out.
Overzealous job seekers in this bleak American economy should also be cautious of scams. According to ABC 7 News, Dawn Furseth, 60, lost $176,000 of her life savings after accepting what she thought was a remote job with Facebook after finishing contract work for a software company in the Bay Area of California.
But after restarting her job search in October 2025, she thought she had found a position after being paired with a “training mentor” who coached her during the onboarding process — only communicating on WhatsApp.
Furseth said within the blink of an eye, her savings were gone, calling the issue “infuriating.” “It’s terrifying… because I had a good job for most of my career… and one stupid mistake and it’s gone…” she said.
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