With 17 years of experience in information technology, a guy like Michael Grenier wouldn't normally have trouble finding a job.

But the Great Recession is anything but normal, and Grenier has been out of work for just over a year.

``It's depressing to apply and apply and apply and apply,'' said Grenier, 48, of Oakland Park. ``It's depressing.''

It's not just Grenier: Unemployment spells are getting longer. And the longer the unemployment rate stays high, the longer the average period of unemployment is likely to be.

Florida's overall jobless rate hit 11 percent in September, up two-tenths of a percentage point from the previous month, according to figures released by the state labor department on Friday. That's the highest since 1975, and represents more than a million Floridians out of work.

Local rates were 11.3 percent in Miami-Dade County, 9.8 percent in Broward and 7 percent in Monroe. Unlike the state numbers, the county rates aren't adjusted for seasonal fluctuations.

Across the United States, a majority of the nation's 15 million unemployed have been out of work three months or longer, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. More than a third -- 5.4 million people -- have been out of work six months or longer.

Up-to-date state numbers aren't available, but as of last year, Florida's long-term jobless rate was about four percentage points higher than the nation as a whole, said the Economic Policy Institute, a Washington think tank.

ADVERSE EFFECTS

Experts say long-term unemployment can have severe consequences for affected individuals, their communities and the economy.

For the individual, it can mean anxiety, depression, substance abuse and family problems.

``I would say almost the majority of the cases that have been coming in recently, we find there is a loss of job behind there someplace,'' said Craig Marker, director of the University of Miami's Psychological Services Center, a clinic that serves the community at large.

``Generally, we have a very good psychological immune system,'' Marker said. ``But being out of a job, you're constantly hit by this fact, and it makes it hard for the immune system to deal with it.''

Numerous studies have shown that such problems can bleed into the larger community, said Bruce Nissen, a labor sociologist at Florida International University. ``All sorts of social pathologies grow,'' he said. ``Broken families, alcohol abuse, domestic violence, children running away.''

Then there's the economic impact. Naturally, unemployed people spend less, but that's not the whole story.

After a long period of unemployment, people also may become less economically productive, said David Denslow, a University of Florida economist. Their skills may deteriorate. A long résumé gap can leave them with a stigma in future job searches. Their future earnings may be less. And some may drop out of the labor force altogether, retiring prematurely, going on disability or relying on the support of relatives, Denslow said.

``We call it a loss of human capital,'' he said. ``They start costing us instead of contributing their taxes.''

For the government, that means less tax income at a time when demand is high for safety-net services such as extended unemployment benefits.

Florida residents can now receive up to 79 weeks of benefits, although Congress is expected to extend that.

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