Study: Senior Unemployment Rates in U.S. Have Skyrocketed During COVID-19 Pandemic

A report by Senior Living cited data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to estimate that the unemployment rate for seniors soared to 13.6 percent in April, almost five times the 2.6 percent rate in February before the COVID-19 pandemic was declared a national emergency, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer . Nationally, seniors account for 23 percent of the workforce, while adults 55 and up comprise 31.6 percent of Washington State's workforce alone. Businesses like restaurants and bars, entertainment, transportation, and retail have suffered the most from the virus, and the study stressed that seniors constitute a larger percentage of jobs in these sectors. The most affected occupations that had a larger percentage of older workers include motor vehicle and rail operators, bus drivers, door-to-door salespeople, and travel agents. Also profoundly impacted were agricultural jobs, with the American farmer's average age 56.1. Moreover, many seniors are ill-equipped to work remotely, and may be encouraged by local health authorities to not resume employment because they are considered a high-risk population for the virus. Finding new jobs may be even tougher for older Americans after the pandemic, with the researchers noting that it took nine months on average for those 51 to 60 years old to be rehired during the Great Recession of 2008.