[Data: 62% of Americans Expect Unemployment Rate to Rise in the Next 12 Months] According to a report by The Kobeissi Letter, 62% of Americans now expect the unemployment rate to rise in the next 12 months, one of the highest levels since the 2008 financial crisis. This proportion has doubled in less than a year and has never been this high during non-recession periods. Interestingly, high-income households, whose income falls within the top 33%, are more pessimistic than middle- and low-income households. In previous economic cycles, changes in expectations of this magnitude have, in 100% of cases, signaled a sharp rise in the unemployment rate.