The Fact
A ProPublica/Urban Institute analysis of Health and Retirement Study data found that among older workers who were pushed out of jobs they had held for years, only about one in ten subsequently earned as much as they had before the employment setback.
What This Means
The problem is not merely getting another job. For many older workers, the harder problem is getting back to the earnings level their experience had already produced before the separation.
Sources
- Gosselin, Peter, with analysis by the Urban Institute. ProPublica, “If You’re Over 50, Chances Are the Decision to Leave a Job Won’t Be Yours,” December 28, 2018. Underlying longitudinal data: University of Michigan Health and Retirement Study.