The LookoutAmerica’s aging workforce
The American workforce is getting older -- an apparent result of the Great Recession and the halting recovery.
The number of employed people over 55 went up by 7.6 percent in the last three years, according to Labor Department figures, the New York Times reports.
During that period, the total number of people with jobs actually fell by almost 5 percent. And in all three age groups for workers under 55, the total number of jobs fell. Indeed, among the youngest age group -- workers aged 16-24 -- the number fell by a whopping 13.2 percent.
In 1981, one in seven American jobs was held by someone 55 or older. Today, it's one in five.
In addition to younger workers, those without a college degree also have been hit hard by the downturn.
(Photo: AP/Bob Daugherty)
