Figure8-7Distribution of the Unemployed by Duration of Unemployment, 2007 In years when the unemploy-ment rate is low, most unemployed workers are unemployed for only a short period. In 2007, a year of low unemployment, 40% of the unemployed were unemployed for less than five weeks and 68% were unemployed for less than 14 weeks. The short duration of unemployment for most workers suggests that most unemployment in 2007 was frictional. (Statistics Canada no longer tracks the length of unemployment of unemployed people who have a job to start in the next four weeks: they are classified as “Duration unknown.”).
Source: Statistics Canada.