The next global pandemic: long-term unemployment Published on Share With Covid-19 hitting the job market hard, long-term unemployment figures are rising globally. Experts warn that the situation could be a ticking time-bomb. Oliver Schopfer, an accountant in his 50s from canton Vaud (southwestern Switzerland), had been out of a job for almost a year before he finally found a position at the end of 2019. Just a month after beginning his new job, Schopfer – who has over 30 years of experience in his field – found himself out of work again. “The company worked a lot with restaurant owners,” Schopfer recalled. “When the [Covid-19] crisis hit, they told me they couldn’t afford to pay my salary anymore.”