But new jobs are not coming on stream the way they did after previous recessions.

Every previous recession of the last three decades caused the rate to climb to at least 7.8 percent.

That had been the lowest number since the previous recession, in 1991.

It is widely believed that the previous recession, which began in March last year, ended near the end of 2001.

The point is that in previous recessions these people would have been called unemployed.

After all, they weathered the previous global recession relatively well.

And at this point after previous recessions, new hiring was already well under way.

At a similar point in the previous recession - the second quarter of 1983 - the company had lost about $100 million.

More than in previous recessions, consumers are on their own.

That would be a longer period of benefits than in any previous recession.