Unit 2: Increasing duration of unemployment in the USA

A disturbing post from Planet Money

http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2012/07/06/156196624/how-unemployment-has-dragged-on-in-three-charts?ft=1&f=93559255

a) Explain why this increasing length of unemployment  means unemployment is a growing problem for the US government
b) Comment on the most appropriate action the US government could take to reduce the number of long term unemployed