When unemployment becomes endless
· 26 min
Episode When unemployment becomes endless
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, at least 1.8 million Americans have been actively looking for a fulltime job for more than 27 weeks. That’s over six months. In this episode, two people tell us what it’s like to navigate a never-ending job search. Plus: A surge in lone star ticks threatens the cattle industry, McDonald’s keeps huge amounts of data on frequent customers, and the national debt passes that $40 trillion threshold.
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Read the stories in today’s episode:
• The national debt hits $40 trillion • Ticks increasingly threaten the health and livelihood of ranchers • An Alabama cattle farm with a bird-tourism side hustle • “Put me in, coach”: Navigating long-term unemployment in the low-hire economy • How the McDonald's mobile app compiled 515-page dossier on one reporter
Links in the notes 8
- https://www.marketplace.org/newsletters
- https://www.marketplace.org/
- https://www.marketplace.org/make-a-smart-investment
- https://www.marketplace.org/story/2026/08/21/the-national-debt-hits-40-trillion
- https://www.marketplace.org/story/2026/08/21/ticks-increasingly-threaten-ranchers-health-and-livelihood
- https://www.marketplace.org/story/2026/08/21/an-alabama-cattle-farm-with-a-birdtourism-side-hustle
- https://www.marketplace.org/story/2026/08/21/what-longterm-unemployment-looks-like-in-a-lowhire-economy
- https://www.marketplace.org/story/2026/08/21/how-mcdonalds-compiled-515page-dossier-on-one-reporter
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