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This has been the worst recession since the Great Depression. 14.5 million people are out of work. The latest stas is 1 in 5 are looking for work. Ben Bernanke, Fed Chair, indicated this recession has more Americans unemployed for more than 6 months, which he believes jeopardizes the long-term viability of the workforce and economy. And AARP says people 50+ take approximately three months longer than younger workers to get a job.  

There's one person associated with the nonprofit I work for, Life by Design NW, who indicated he'd been laid off, his wife (a small business owner) has recently been diagnosed with cancer, and his unemployment benefits just ran out. It's not a pretty picture, and it sure isn't easy out there.  Congress should extend unemployment benefits and I believe they should do so in lieu of the tax break they just gave me.

posted 2 years, 5 months ago
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People over 50 are in trouble. According to the AARP, people over 50 are more likely to be unemployed and are unemployed longer. And up to 60% of those unemployed over 50 just ... give up. They never re-enter the workforce.

Seeing as the Boomer population is so large, I think there are ripple effects being felt throughout Portland. I work at Life by Design NW, a nonprofit that is designed to empower people over 50 to live their passion and connect them to their community, and we see it quite a bit. We see incredibly skilled people get creative about what happens next -- seek a new purpose and how they can make money at it (including starting a new business), spend more time volunteering or go back to school for their "encore career." It's amazing and inspiring.

posted 3 years, 9 months ago
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