Some of the jobs that have disappeared through this recession are gone forever, it seems. Even when the market turns, and even gains momentum, we could be stuck with a fairly weak employment market for a while. The recovery will take longer than we'd like, putting more distance between now and the top of the next market run. We've lost 7.2 million jobs since December 2007, and the predictions of some economists that we'll get them back by 2014 may actually seem optimistic.

Why is the recovery going to be such a grind? Check out the four major reasons after the jump.

Unemployment is at its highest level since 1983, hitting 9.8% last month. The Department of Labor announced that 263,000 jobs were lost. This follows a revised loss of 201,000 jobs in August (lower than first reported). Nobody expected the August unemployment reprieve to last, and the increase suggests that the forecasted 10.3% unemployment rate for early next year will be realized.

Originally, the forecasted unemployment drop for September was 175,000, according to Bloomberg News, with individual economists surveyed reporting in a range of 100,000 to 260,000.

Earlier this morning, Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL) announced that it will cut 1,700 jobs, along with raising fees for checking luggage. CAL tagged this news along with its quarterly earnings report, in which it reported a loss of $1.72 per share. In the same quarter a year ago CAL lost a nickel per share. Excluding one-time items, CAL lost $1.36 per share compared to estimates for a loss of $1.35 per share. Quarterly revenue slipped 22.7% to $3.13 billion in the quarter, just shy of the consensus estimate.

Late last Friday, The Wall Street Journal reported that the Defense Department has ordered Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE: LMT) to cease work on a $13 billion contract to build helicopters for the White House.

The move was widely expected, since the Obama administration has previously pointed to the revamped copters as an example of excessive defense spending. However, the contract's cancellation will no doubt bring fresh job losses to Owego, NY, where the Marine One copter is being designed.

Dow component DuPont (NYSE: DD) said today that it will eliminate another 2,000 jobs as part of its ongoing plan to cut costs. Previously, the blue chip slashed 2,500 employees and 4,000 contractor positions from its payroll back in December.

The company will take a second-quarter pre-tax restructuring charge of $340 million to $390 million as a result of the job cuts, though DuPont said it will save $225 million by the end of 2010.

The news pressured DD to a loss of 3% within the first hour of today's trading. The stock's pullback could potentially find a floor near its 20-day moving average; in collaboration with its 10-day counterpart, this trendline has guided the shares higher since early March.

Back on tax day, my friend and colleague Elizabeth Harrow wondered if Yahoo! (NASDAQ: YHOO) would announce job cuts when it reports earnings tomorrow. Ms. Harrow looked at a report in The New York Times about preparations for a "significant round of layoffs" and then took a look at the option activity on the Internet search portal a week ahead of earnings.

Something that Elizabeth noted was the fact that the 15 strike was going to assume the mantle of peak call open interest when the market opens for trading festivities today. This level could be a major sticking point for the stock, as Yahoo hasn't closed atop the $15 level since late 2008.

A Yahoo spokesman declined to comment, but reports indicate that the payroll cuts could be announced next Tuesday, April 21, when the Internet portal is scheduled to release its first-quarter earnings results. Since she first joined the company in January, Ms. Bartz has made it clear that serious restructuring efforts would be necessary to repair Yahoo's struggling business.

There's been no shortage of heartstring-jerking reports from the current economic crisis -- seniors whose retirement accounts have been wiped clean; families relocating from homes to motels; MBAs forced to wear their resumes on sandwich boards.

However, in my humble opinion, today's news might be the most pathetic: Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization that produces the classic Sesame Street TV show, is slashing 20% of its 355-member workforce.

At roughly 7:30 AM EST, National Semiconductor (NYSE: NSM) released its third-quarter earnings report. The semiconductor company announced earnings of 9 cents per diluted share -- down from 16 cents per share in the second quarter.

In last year's third quarter, NSM reported earnings per diluted share of 29 cents per share. According to MarketWatch, the Street expected NSM to post a loss of 5 cents per share. Quarterly revenue dropped to $292 million, short of the consensus estimate of $296.8 million.

Unlike a certain former governor of Illinois, I'm not afraid to admit it when I'm wrong. So, when I noticed that makeup maven Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE: EL) was trading significantly lower today in the wake of its latest earnings report, I decided to take a fresh look at the stock. Was my bullish endorsement back in December completely wrong-headed, or is today's drop just a blip on the charts?

First, let's sum up the quarterly results. EL banked a second-quarter profit of 80 cents per share on $2.04 billion in revenue. The profit number exceeded analysts' expectations by three cents per share, while revenue matched consensus estimates. However, the company warned that third-quarter net sales are expected to drop 2% to 4%, and it announced plans to cut its headcount by 2,000 employees over the next two years -- roughly 6% of its workforce.