The long-term unemployment rate measures the share of the labor force that has been unemployed for 12 months or longer. It reflects structural labor market problems such as skills mismatches, regional disparities, and slow recoveries from recessions. High long-term unemployment often signals deeper economic dysfunction and can lead to skills erosion and permanent detachment from the workforce. Comparing countries reveals stark differences in labor market resilience — the US historically experiences shorter unemployment spells due to more flexible hiring and firing practices, while European countries with stronger worker protections often see higher long-term unemployment, especially after recessions. Data is quarterly (OECD STLABOUR dataset, indicator LTUNR) — primary source. If OECD is unavailable, the chart falls back to FRED harmonized total unemployment rate as an approximation. Gray shaded regions represent US recessions (NBER).