Long-Term Unemployment's Hidden Cost in Stagflation

Stagflation Conversations with Fexingo: High Inflation, Slow Growth, and 1970s Echoes · Jun 7, 2026 · 6m · transcript

In this episode of Stagflation Conversations, Lucas and Luna examine the surge in long-term unemployment, which recent data shows is climbing even as the headline jobless rate holds at 4.3 percent. They break down why workers unemployed for 27 weeks or more face a uniquely punishing dynamic in a slow-growth, high-inflation environment: skills erosion that accelerates faster than normal cycles, a shrinking pool of employers willing to hire gaps, and a deterioration in real earnings that outpaces short-term job seekers. The discussion anchors on the latest JOLTS data showing 7.6 million job…