"And today, I'm happy to report that we received some very encouraging news... I should also note that the unemployment rate ticked up slightly from 9.7 to 9.9 [percent]." President Obama, May 7, 2010.
Unemployed More Than 6 Months
Median length of unemployment:
January 2009: 10.6 weeks
April 2010: 21.6 weeks
May 1983 (highest prior to April 2009): 12.3 weeks
Source: St. Louis Fed