A very recent analysis by Rand Ghayad, cited in multiple news outlets, shows just how much this factor can affect workers searching for jobs. Ghayad ran an experiment where he sent out 4800 fake resumes to 600 job openings, varying different resumes for the same positions on whether an applicant was unemployed and for how long he had been unemployed. He reported that the length of time a candidate had been unemployed was even more important than whether a candidate had experience in the industry he was applying for; candidates who had only recently lost their jobs but who had no industry experience were more likely to be called back than candidates with relevant experience who had been employed for six months or longer