A PROFILE OF UNEMPLOYMENT IN NORTH CAROLINA: Older Workers

Fact Sheet: Older Workers and Unemployment in North Carolina
By Alexandra Forter Sirota
Nov. 2011

North Carolina’s workers aged 55 and older who are unemployed remain jobless for longer.

• Older workers are less likely to be unemployed than younger workers, but when they do experience unemployment, 56 percent are likely to be without a job for 26 weeks or longer.
• Long-term unemployment continues to be driven by the lack of jobs but is further compounded for older workers by the challenge of finding similar employment despite strong work histories.
• Due to longer periods of unemployment, older workers are more likely to exhaust their unemployment benefits and can be pushed into unplanned retirement