The New School’s Retirement Equity Lab reported in early August that 2.9 million workers ages 55 to 70 had left the labor market since March — meaning that they were neither working nor actively job-hunting — and projected that another 1.1 million might do so by November. Unemployment rose higher still for older women, Black and Latino workers, and those without college degrees, Dr. Johnson found. Such disparities “become even more pronounced during a recession.”Researchers can’t yet say what role health concerns have played in the displacement of older workers. Industries where older workers have been hardest hit include construction, manufacturing, transportation and warehousing, education and other nonprofessional services, the Urban Institute found. Now that the $600 federal supplement has ended, her unemployment comes to $338 weekly, making it hard to cover the mortgage on her Fremont, Neb., home.

Source: New York Times August 28, 2020 13:52 UTC