Mass Unemployment During this time, unemployment insurance did not exist, so the loss of jobs meant an economic catastrophe for workers and families. The biggest sign of the deepening depression was the massive unemployment across America. In 1930, the Department of Labor estimated that about 9 percent, or 4.2 million people, were unemployed. Then in 1931, these figures doubled and by 1933 over one-fourth of the labor force, or 12.6 million workers, were out of jobs. This was a 25% unemployment rate. There are other research that shows that the unemployment in 1933 was about 16 million workers, which would be one out of every three workers. Either way, the numbers are outrageous.
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