Unemployment has become a very important problem all over the world; furthermore, in the United States unemployment rates have remained persistently high. Since December 2008, the unemployment rate in America has been above 7%, and in late 2009 it peaked at 10% (Nichols, Mitchell, and Lindner 1). Despite gradual improvements in the labor market, the supply of available workers relative to available work, long-term unemployment – ​​the percentage of unemployed people who have been out of work for more than six months – remains at unprecedented levels. The percentage of long-term unemployed workers hovered around 40% from late 2009 to 2013, although it had not risen above 30% since the Great Depression (Nichols, Mitchell, and Lindner 1). a recession and rising prices, having a job and having an income is a significant part of life. But income isn't the only aspect of being employed. In many ways, being busy can affect every single aspect of your life. A job can be all you rely on to support your entire life. When a job that has such a large impact on a person's life is suddenly removed, it can cause a huge negative change. “The unemployed may suffer hardship when their employment activities, which enabled them to perform these functions, are lost” (O'Brien 242). This is why unemployment can have such harmful effects on those who no longer have a job. “As unemployment has recently become a visible social problem, numerous studies of individual reactions to unemployment have appeared” (O'Brien 215). Individual reactions and effects of unemployment can be seen in many ways, and many repercussions can arise from unemployment, whether... middle of paper... er, Richard, Stein, Shayna. “Effects of Unemployment on Mental Health and Physical Health.” American Journal of Public Health 75.5 (1985):502 Complete MasterFILE. Network. December 3, 2013. Lowe, G. (1999, 04). “Unemployment and mental health”. Psychologist 12.190. Network. April 19, 2014.Nichols, Austin, Josh Mitchell, and Stephan Linder. “Consequences of Long-Term Unemployment.” The Urban Institute. Network. 4 December 2013.O'Brien, Gordon E. Psychology of Work and Unemployment. Great Britain. John Wiley & Sons, 1986. Print. November 22, 2013.Ochsen, Carsten and Heinz Welsh. “The Social Costs of Unemployment: Accounting for the Duration of Unemployment.” Applied economics. 43.27 (2011): 3999-4005. Business origination completed. Network. 3 December 2013.Winkelmann, L. and Winkelmann, R. (1998), Why are the unemployed so unhappy? Evidence from panel data. Economic, 65:257 1–15. Network. May 19 2014.