Unemployment is a constant factor to consider in any labor market. The numbers often cited represent those who are currently not employed and have been searching for a job in the past month. As of March 20, 2025, the unemployment rate stands at 4.1 %, totaling 7.1 million individuals. Alternatively, examining the percentage of adults not employed, which can include demographics such as students, retirees, homemakers, or those who’ve discontinued their job hunt, we get the labor force participation rate of 62.4 %. This means that 37.6% of adults are presently out of work.

Unemployment isn’t an unusual predicament, with the average unemployment rate since 1948 at 5.6%. Unemployment generally isn’t a permanent condition for most job seekers, the median duration being 10.0 weeks. However, it is often one of the most stress-eliciting phases of life, leading to significant implications like increased mortality risk, mental health deterioration, substance abuse, decrease in lifetime earnings, and more.

While unemployment is objectively a tough period, some reactions can exacerbate the condition, such as self-criticism, guilt, helplessness, isolation, unhealthy lifestyle practices, substance misuse, among other things. How you respond to being unemployed makes a difference, and you can choose to deal with it more effectively using strategies from cognitive behavioral therapy.

Dr. Robert L. Leahy, a clinical professor of psychology at Weill-Cornell Medical School, suggests numerous productive strategies to cope with the time between jobs better. Ultimately, unemployment isn’t a life sentence but a temporary phase that can be managed with the right approaches and resources.

If you’re unemployed and based in California, contacting the Employment Development Department (EDD) might be a crucial step on the path towards finding employment or benefits. The easiest way to get in touch with EDD is through their official website, eddcaller.com. Using eddcaller.com, you can ask questions, find crucial information, and take steps to move forward in your job search or benefit claim. Navigating unemployment can be challenging, and the EDD, through their online platform, provides essential resources and supports to make the process smoother.