by Laura Conaway and Mathew Katz

Jobless by duration of employment
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

Chronic unemployment is growing.

Today's report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics finds the unemployment rate ticking downward, to 9.4 percent in July from 9.56 in June. The BLS describes the situation as "little changed."

One number that has continued to shift is the duration of unemployment. In a sour note for people who've been laid off, the duration of unemployment has kept rising. The average search took 25.1 weeks as of July, up from 24.5 weeks in the June report.

After the jump, a chart that breaks that number down.

Other Charts: Overall Unemployment/ Average Hourly Wages/ Average Workweek

 

Today's report shows a continued rise in chronic unemployment. The BLS says the number of people sidelined for 27 weeks or more has risen to 4,965,000 from 4,381,000.

Jobless by duration of employment
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

The average job search is taking longer.