Every once in a while when I get all riled up I go off on a tangent about how – with the current craziness in today’s world – the term “equality” doesn’t apply to young, middle-class, white males. In short, apparently since the western world has been dominated by white men that’s somehow my fault centuries later (*cough* bullshit *cough*), but I don’t want to get into that conversation.
I do, however, want to share a link that I found while looking around USA Today’s website this morning. A review of the numbers shows that older white males are losing their jobs in this recession, but also that they are unable to find new jobs.
Jobless rates for men and women older than 55 are at their highest level since the Great Depression, government data show. White men over 55 had a record 6.5% unemployment rate in the second quarter, far above the previous post-Depression high of 5.4% in 1983. The jobless rate for older black men was higher — 10.5% — but more than a percentage point below its 1983 peak.
The most remarkable change is in the unemployment rate for black women: 12.2%, far below the historic peak of 20% in 1983. Hispanic unemployment is about 6 percentage points below historic highs, too.
A cursory review of those numbers shows that older white males, as a population, are still doing much better than the rest of the populations out there. However, I notice that they don’t breakout the age ranges for the black women or any additional demographic information for the Hispanic population.
What I like about the article is that it talks in detail about three older white guys who lost their job and details what’s going on in their lives. USA Today is good at writing these types of stories so if you have some time, give it a whirl.
I’ve seen it quite a bit in the last five years. Mainly what I’ve observed are Senior people being intentionally out manuevered by the organization already in place. This will happen through in a workforce reduction or layoff. Months later a young graduate is hired in at half the salary of his predicessor. In a right to work State there are little if any legal conduits for reprisal. Now the over fifty five white male is no longer marketable. Who wants to take the time to orient and train someone who will retire in ten years, may be a health risk, is seen as too set in their ways and might not fit in with the younger workforce? Of course its a good business decision but thats all. I have been through three such situations myself but luckily I have managed to find employment even when the economy was in the comode. I’m three years away from retirement so I’m still vulnerable but I count the blessings I’ve been given. It’s all about greed and the wonderful dollar my friends.