Bumper Crop of Working Seniors

[Modern School]

As pensions are gutted, retirement ages raised, and nest eggs still enfeebled by the recession, more and more people are finding they cannot afford to retire. The New York Times reported this week that recent Labor Department figures show that the percentage of workers toiling on past the age of 65 is at a record high.

For the first time in 30 years, more than 10% of men over the age of 75 were employed, while nearly 5% of women that age were working. At the same time, employment for men under 55 fell sharply during the recession and is only now starting to recover, while the number of unemployed women under the age 55 hit its lowest level in two decades.

The Times also reported that overall household net worth declined by 15% during the recession—one of the reasons why so many people no longer can afford to retire.

Modern School
http://modeducation.blogspot.com/2012/05/bumper-crop-of-working-seniors.html

[safeinOhio]

1. On my 4th low pay job after I retired 10 years ago.

However, this turns out to be a dream type job. Not a lot of $, but lots of fun and staying active. You can't go fishing every day.

[TheMastersNemesis]

2. I Wonder How Many Seniors Kept Voting Republican.

I wonder how many seniors kept voting Republican. And I wonder how many were anti labor and anti union their entire voting life. If they have been consistently conservative then they have gotten what they voted for and what they deserve.

I wonder how many of them like their bible salad or their guns or blame minorities for their plight. Personally I am not sympathetic. And I wonder how many will vote GOP and threaten their Medicare and Social Security just because they don't like Obama because he is black. He lost the senior vote and they helped put in the GOP in 2010.

For the seniors who voted Democratic they have become victims of the GOP seniors who are too stupid, religious or racist to understand how they are screwing everyone.

[safeinOhio]

4. I'll bet the same percentage as

40 to 50 year olds.

[JDPriestly]

3. 10% of men over 75 and 5% of women that age -- not many people over 75 are working.

That's about the official percentage of the unemployed in some states. And the article doesn't say how many hours a week they work. It doesn't mention whether they have kept their jobs or been hired after 75. It doesn't say whether they "work" in family businesses that they perhaps own or owned or whether they are actually working for non-family.

And of course, my uncle who is a farmer works -- on the farm where he worked most of his life. Is he counted as working?

I have a friend who teaches private lessons. Does that count? I don't think she has very many students but she would say she works.

These numbers don't mean much, and I doubt that very many of those who are still working at over 75 are filling jobs that would even exist if they weren't filling them, much less jobs a younger person would be doing.