Giving Compass' Take:

• Richard W. Johnson at Urban Institute explains how unemployment among older workers has experienced an unprecedented rise during coronavirus.

• Why are older workers now at more of a risk when seeking new jobs? How can we push for improved unemployment benefits for older workers and other vulnerable communities?

• Find resources to guide you in supporting those who have lost their jobs during the pandemic.

One surprise from the April jobs report was the surge in unemployment among older workers. The monthly unemployment rate at ages 65 and older reached 15.6 percent, the highest level since records began in 1948.

Unlike previous recessions, this pandemic-led downturn has hit older workers especially hard and will likely create long-term employment challenges for them.

Older workers are usually less likely to lose their jobs because they typically have greater seniority, which protects them when employers trim their payrolls. And when older workers lost their jobs in past recessions, they often retired, dropping out of the labor force instead of trying to find another job.

Making matters worse, today’s economic downturn coincides with a global pandemic that poses special health risks to older people. Even when jobs are available, older workers may be reluctant to return to work until workplaces are secure and they can commute safely. And health concerns may make employers even more wary of older workers.

Potential federal efforts to create jobs, such as subsidizing private-sector employment, reviving the Works Progress Administration, and financing “green” jobs, could boost employment at younger ages, but they won’t be as effective for older people wary of leaving their homes until an effective vaccine or treatment becomes available.

A better way to help unemployed older workers would be to shore up unemployment benefits. Congress could extend the extra $600 per week it provided to workers collecting unemployment benefits, currently set to expire at the end of July. It could also allow unemployed workers to collect benefits for longer than 39 weeks. And it could provide funding to states to help them handle the flood of unemployment insurance claims.

Read the full article about unemployment among older workers by Richard W. Johnson at Urban Institute.