more seniors are in the workforce
According to a poll released by the Pew Research Center today, Americans over the age of 65 are suffering the least during the recession. Fewer seniors reported trouble making rent or mortgage payments or being forced to cut back on household expenses. In addition, only 7 percent reported trouble finding health care (a third of the percentage of younger adults), and only 23 percent reported losing more than 20 percent of their investments last year, well below the numbers of those younger.
Finally, the number of seniors with jobs increased by 3.9 percent. While the rise in the number of seniors in the workforce may indicate that some were forced back to work, at least they were able to find jobs. In fact, in the current economic climate, the younger the worker is, the least likely they are to be laid off.
Some analysts appear unsurprised that seniors have fared well. Their lifestyles are often already scaled back, and their investments are generally more conservative than their younger counterparts. Nonetheless, it is good news.