According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, approximately 12.6 million people were unemployed as of September 2020. Black and Latinx workers are bearing the brunt of these job losses, with unemployment rates 4.2% and 2.4% higher than average, respectively. Permanent job losses are also increasing. The number of workers on permanent layoff increased by 345,000 from August to September, rising to 3.8 million.
How can we ensure that all workers can access meaningful and sustainable work during our economic recovery?
CWI Labs and WorkingNation have invited experts in workforce development, labor economics, aging, racial equity and policy to discuss the challenges before our Nation. And, most importantly, to introduce thought-provoking solutions.
Watch all Episodes in the Series
Ruth Finkelstein
Executive Director of the Brookdale Center for Healthy Aging at Hunter College and professor at the School of Urban Public Health.
Our nation’s labor force is increasingly dependent on older workers who will soon represent the largest single segment—25%—of our labor force. After the last recession, older job seekers only had a 40% chance of finding a job within 18 months. In the third episode of our series, Ruth and Ramona discuss how COVID-19 fears and misinformation complicate efforts to include older workers in our recovery. And what employers and policy makers can do to overcome these challenges.
