Longest time unemployed

What was the longest time you ever spend without a job, I mean once you hit working age.
For me it was 5 years on unemployment, no matter what I did I just couldn't find a darn job.

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ninalanyon · 61-69, T

From graduation in June 1977 to November that year when I got my first post-uni job. Never been out of work since until I retired at the end of 2017.

Wol62 · 51-55, M

@ninalanyon Awesome.

ninalanyon · 61-69, T

@Wol62 Thanks. There was a certain amount of luck involved I think, together with having a saleable qualification (Applied Physics degree) and a willingness (and ability) to move to where the work was.

Sorry to hear you had such a long spell without work. Just the few months of surviving on social security that I did got pretty unpleasant by the end.

Wol62 · 51-55, M

@ninalanyon Thanks, yeah it was hard when I was coming here and hearing about people great lives!

ninalanyon · 61-69, T

@Wol62 Everyone has some feature of their life that they would rather have avoided, they don't necessarily let the general public know, so they end up looking like they have led a charmed life. But it's not always true on closer inspection. I think I have probably in some ways had a better life than average, perhaps much better, but it hasn't been wonderful all the way through. And it all hinged on being able to take advantage of opportunities when they came along. Not everyone would have been able to say yes to an offer of a job in another country for instance.