Take a look at Griff's graph.
Firstly, note that it gives job losses as an absolute value. Since there are more people in jobs now compared to 1950, losing a million jobs is a smaller percentage now than previously. I'd like to see an adjusted graph of that (but not enough to go and look for one).
I also notice that if you trace the recessions in their chronological order, after the first cluster of five recessions which lasted 18-23 months, they get progressively longer: 28, 32 and 47 months. The present one is shaping up to be a doozie. Is the trend strong enough to support a general hypothesis? Are US recessions getting longer? If so, why would that be?
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Shut up and hug. MoreThanPretty, Nov 5, 2008.
Just because I'm nominally polite, does not make me a pussy. Sundae Girl.
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