In much the same way, not all willing workers find suitable positions immediately, even when the economy is functioning well. Furthermore, even as current job seekers eventually find employment, others are always entering the labo r force, resulting in residual, chronic levels of joblessness. The popular vision of unemployment is that of the same workers stuck jobless forever, or at least for a long time. The first such effect we study is age. As marvelous as youth is, it has its drawbacks.
Young people are much more likely to be unemployed than older people.
This is true across age groups and at every point in time for which we have available data. In the previous section, we described the job search process as a kind of mating dance. The data suggests that older workers are more adept at this dance. This might come from experience in the job search process. It might accrue from the greater job e xperience an older worker can demonstrate to an employer.