Job market crowded with 6 people looking for every available job

According to data from the Labor Department, the U.S. job market is tougher than ever. USA Today reports the results of new research which shows that there are 6.3 people looking for every single job available in the country.

This is in sharp contrast to the 1.2 people looking per job in 2001, and even from the 1.7 per job back when the recession started in late 2007.

Even when compared with job search data from the recession earlier this decade, the stats look grim. Back during the height of the "jobless" recovery in 2003, there were 2.8 job seekers for each available position. In total, around 7.2 million jobs have vanished over the course of this recession, and economists say that until this trend reverses, the economy will be in prolonged trouble.