Unemployment Rises To Highest Levels Since 1983 People look over job listings at the One Stop Career Link Center November 9, 2009 in San Francisco, California. The national unemployment rate for October reached 10.2 percent, the highest level since 1983. Federal Reserve officials have warned that the unemployment rate will likely remain high for the next several years because the economic recovery won't be strong enough to spur robust hiring. An estimated 16 million Americans are out of work. (Photograph by David Paul Morris)
