ABSTRACT
Unemployment and loss of income have ravaged numerous homes. It has broken the spirit of their members, undermined their health, robbed them of self-respect, destroyed their efficiency and employability. Determination of the quantitative importance of long versus short-term unemployment can only come from surveys of the unemployed. There are some survey results which strongly suggest that unemployment, and especially long-term unemployment, was much more prevalent among older workers. The reason for higher unemployment rates among older workers, then, must be a longer duration of unemployment for those who did lose their jobs. The photographs of people in soup lines, or riding the rails, or working on various government relief efforts, should ensure for all time that the Great Depression is recognized as a period of unusually severe unemployment. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
