From 2007 to October 2009, the United States lost nearly eight million jobs, which reduced the employment-population ratio from 63% to 58.5%. The unemployment rate at the end of 2009 was above 10%, duration of joblessness was the longest since the Great Depression, millions had had their working hours cut, and millions more were too discouraged by a lack of jobs to seek work.
这场经济灾难的大输家是那些认同美式资本主义放任自流政策的发达国家的工人。从2007年到2009年10月，美国失去了近800万个工作岗位，就业人口率从63%下降到58.5%。2009年底的失业率超过10%，失业状态的持续时间是大萧条以来的最长，数百万人的工作时间缩短，更有数百万人因工作机会的缺乏而失去找工作的勇气。