經(jīng)濟危機迫使美國老年人重返職場
Eugene Salvino, 57, fills out a job application at a job fair in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on August 4, 2009. Salvino’s job of 37 years was eliminated a year and a half ago and he’s been unable to find a position.(Agencies)
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The worst US economic recession in 70 years is forcing senior citizens out of retirement, leaving them fighting for jobs in a weak labor market or risking homelessness, according to a private study.
The study by Experience Works, released on Tuesday, showed 46 percent of the 2,000 low income people over 55 years who participated needed to find work to keep their homes. Nearly half of them had been searching for work for more than a year.
Experience Works is the nation’s largest nonprofit provider of community service, training and employment opportunities for older workers. The study was conducted in the past two months and covered 30 states and Puerto Rico.
"These people are at the age where they understandably thought their job-searching years were behind them," said Cynthia Metzler, president and CEO of Experience Works.
"But here they are, many in their 60s, 70s and beyond, desperate to find work so they can keep a roof over their heads and food on the table."
According to the study, many of the participants had no intention of working past their 60th birthday, but had to change plans after being laid off or following the death of a spouse. Over a third of the participants had retired.
Ninety percent of respondents 76 years and older planned to continue working for the next five years.
Huge medical bills due to a personal illness or that of a spouse were also reasons for coming out of retirement, the survey found. The longest and deepest economic slump since the 1930s is making finding a job for the low-income elderly workers a difficult challenge.
According to Labor Department data, there were 2 million unemployed workers over the age of 55 in August, an increase of 69 percent from the same period last year. Between August 2008 and August this year, the number of unemployed workers 75 years and older increased by 33 percent.
The unemployment rate among workers 55 years and older was 6.7 percent in August after shooting to a record 7.1 percent in July. The national unemployment rate was at 9.7 percent in August, the highest in 26 years.
The Experience Works study found that 46 percent of the elderly jobseekers were sometimes forced to choose between paying rent, buying food or medication. Almost three-quarters believed their age made it harder to compete for jobs with younger workers.
"This study underscores the need to create policies that remove barriers to employment for older workers and provide additional programs and services specifically aimed at helping older people re-enter the work force or remain working," said Metzler.
一項私人調(diào)查顯示，美國近70年來最嚴(yán)重的經(jīng)濟危機使得一些老年人不得不重返不景氣的就業(yè)市場重新找工作，否則就可能面臨無家可歸的境地，
經(jīng)濟危機迫使美國老年人重返職場
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《經(jīng)濟危機迫使美國老年人重返職場》(http://salifelink.com)。這項于本周二公布的調(diào)查由Experience Works機構(gòu)開展，共有2000名年齡在55歲以上的低收入者參加。調(diào)查顯示，46%的受訪者為了保住居所需要重新找工作，其中近一半的人已經(jīng)找了一年多的時間。
Experience Works是美國最大的為老年求職者提供社區(qū)服務(wù)、培訓(xùn)和就業(yè)機會的非贏利性機構(gòu)。該調(diào)查在過去兩個月內(nèi)開展，調(diào)查范圍覆蓋美國30個州以及波多黎各。
Experience Works的總裁兼首席執(zhí)行官辛蒂婭•麥茨勒說：“這個年齡段的人們難免會覺得他們已經(jīng)過了找工作的年齡。”
“但是你看，很多六、七十歲，甚至年齡更大的人急切地想找份工作來維持生計。”
調(diào)查稱，很多受訪者本不打算60歲后繼續(xù)工作，但由于被裁員或喪偶不得不改變計劃。其中超過三分之一的受訪者已退休。
在76歲及以上的受訪者中，90%的人打算再繼續(xù)工作五年。
調(diào)查發(fā)現(xiàn)，自己或配偶生病需要支付巨額醫(yī)藥費用也是老年人重新找工作的原因之一。這場自上世紀(jì)30年代以來持續(xù)時間最久、影響最深的經(jīng)濟危機使得低收入的.老年人在找工作時面臨了巨大的挑戰(zhàn)。
美國勞工部的數(shù)據(jù)顯示，今年八月，美國55歲以上的失業(yè)人數(shù)達(dá)200萬，比去年同期增加69%。從去年八月到今年八月，75歲及以上的失業(yè)人數(shù)增加了33%。
今年八月，美國55歲以上員工的失業(yè)率為6.7%，而七月份，這一數(shù)據(jù)達(dá)到了創(chuàng)紀(jì)錄的7.1%。八月份全美失業(yè)率為9.7%，創(chuàng)近26年來最高水平。
Experience Works的調(diào)查發(fā)現(xiàn)，46%的年長求職者有時不得不在付房租、購買食物和支付醫(yī)療費用之間做出選擇。近四分之三的受訪者認(rèn)為自己的年齡讓他們在找工作時很難與年輕人競爭。
麥茨勒說：“調(diào)查讓我們認(rèn)識到，需頒布一些政策來消除老年求職者的就業(yè)障礙，并提供額外的計劃和服務(wù)以幫助老年人重返職場或保住工作。”
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