The last unemployment figures showed even THAT number was going down. I seem to recall a line in the latest news blurb that said (paraphrasing) "Even the U6 numbers were down to 15.(something) percent". The article went on to explain that "U6" was the figure for people out of work for more than 6 months. I *think* rate was 15.2 but 15.6 sounds familiar to me as well.