how long do recessions last 
the average u s recession since 1857 lasted 17 months although the six recessions since 1980 averaged less than 10 months 7the bottom linea recession is a significant widespread and prolonged downturn in economic activity recessions are commonly characterized by two consecutive quarters of negative gross domestic product gdp growth though there are more complex ways to assess and classify downturns the unemployment rate is a key recession indicator as demand for goods and services falls companies need fewer workers and may lay off staff to cut costs laid off staff then have to cut their own spending which in turn hurts demand which can lead to more layoffs since the great depression governments around the world have adopted fiscal and monetary policies to prevent recessions from deepening into depressions such as unemployment insurance or cutting interest rates 