The Employment Situation, September 2012

This AARP Public Policy Institute fact sheet highlights the employment situation for older persons as of September 2012. 

Although the unemployment rate for the total workforce fell from 8.1 percent in August to 7.8 percent in September, the lowest rate since January 2009, the rate for those aged 55 and over remained unchanged at 5.9 percent.  Still, that rate was well below the rate of 6.7 percent one year earlier.  Approximately 1.9 million older people were out of work and looking for a job in September, not much changed from August.  Average duration of unemployment rose, but the number of older discouraged workers was somewhat lower.