Coronavirus will likely have a long-term impact on older workers. Here are the 14 jobs that have the highest share of workers age 55 and over.
by Madison Hoff- The novel coronavirus pandemic has had an impact on older workers and will likely have a long-term impact on this age cohort.
- SeniorLiving.org looked at how the coronavirus might affect older workers.
- The senior resources website used data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to find the occupations where workers are at least 55 years old.
- At the top of the list was motor vehicle operators, where almost 60% of workers are age 55 and over.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
The novel coronavirus is likely to have a long-term impact on older workers, according to a recent analysis from SeniorLiving.org, a website that provides information and resources on senior housing, work, and money, among other things.
A recent analysis found that the coronavirus has put older workers at a disadvantage because a large share of older people are in jobs that cannot be done from home and they "may be encouraged by health authorities not to return to jobs that are unable to social distance."
The CDC has warned that older people are in the at-risk group of becoming severely ill from the coronavirus, and SeniorLiving.org notes that many of the occupations in its analysis involve close contact with others, putting older workers at greater risk of catching or spreading the coronavirus.
A blog post from the Economic Policy Institute also notes that older workers have less time to save for retirement after losing their jobs and returning to the workforce, and often have to take pay cuts when they do find work, because their skills may seem inapplicable. Research by AARP finds the age cohort is also "highly vulnerable to layoffs in times of economic uncertainty."
During the course of the novel coronavirus, the unemployment rate has increased for older workers. According to figures from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate for workers 55 and over was 13.6% in April, a 10.3 percentage point increase from March. This rate is higher than the April unemployment rate for workers 25 to 54, but less than half of the unemployment rate for workers 20 to 24, which is a whopping 25.7%.
SeniorLiving.org used labor force participation figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to identify the occupations with the highest share of workers aged 55 and over.
Of the 14 industries with the largest share of people who are at least 55 years old, half are in transportation, such as taxi drivers or flight attendants. The following 14 jobs range in salary, with seven earning less than the median annual salary of $39,810 as of May 2019.
We also included the median age of workers from 2019 and the overall median annual salary in May 2019 from BLS. Because SeniorLiving.org noted these jobs usually are in close contact with others, we included contact with other scores from the Occupational Information Network (O*NET). This score involves contact by face-to-face, by telephone, or other, where 100 means constant contact.
13 (tie). Personal care aides: 31% of workers are at least 55 years old.
Median annual salary in May 2019: $25,280
Median age of employees in 2019: 45.5
Contact with others score: 83
13 (tie). Clerical library assistants: 31% of workers are at least 55 years old.
Median annual salary in May 2019: $27,490
Median age of employees in 2019: 40.5
Contact with others score: 89
12. Dredge, excavating, and loading machine operators: 32% of workers are at least 55 years old.
Median annual salary in May 2019: $47,040 for dredge operators, $44,800 for excavating and loading machine operators
Median age of employees in 2019: N/A
Contact with others score: 82 for dredge operators, 85 for excavating and loading machine operators
10 (tie). Dentists: 33% of workers are at least 55 years old.
Median annual salary in May 2019: $155,600
Median age of employees in 2019: 48.2
Contact with others score: 94
10 (tie). Taxi drivers and chauffeurs: 33% of workers are at least 55 years old.
Median annual salary in May 2019: $31,340
Median age of employees in 2019: 46.3
Contact with others score: 86
8 (tie). Flight attendants: 34% of workers are at least 55 years old.
Median annual salary in May 2019: $56,640
Median age of employees in 2019: 49.4
Contact with others score: 97
8 (tie). Aircraft pilots and flight engineers: 34% of workers are at least 55 years old.
Median annual salary in May 2019: $147,220
Median age of employees in 2019: 48.8
Contact with others score: 99
6 (tie). Baggage porters, bellhops, and concierges: 35% of workers are at least 55 years old.
Median annual salary in May 2019: $25,580 for baggage porters and bellhops, $31,390 for concierges
Median age of employees in 2019: 45.1
Contact with others score: 85 for baggage porters and bellhops, 96 for concierges
6 (tie). Travel agents: 35% of workers are at least 55 years old.
Median annual salary in May 2019: $40,660
Median age of employees in 2019: 53.4
Contact with others score: 86
5. Door-to-door sales workers, news and street vendors: 36% of workers are at least 55 years old.
Median annual salary in May 2019: $27,420
Median age of employees in 2019: 47.3
Contact with others score: 87
4. Transportation attendants, excluding flight attendants: 40% of workers are at least 55 years old.
Median annual salary in May 2019: $26,570
Median age of employees in 2019: N/A
Contact with others score: 79
3. Subway, streetcar, and other rail transportation workers: 44% of workers are at least 55 years old.
Median annual salary in May 2019: $67,880
Median age of employees in 2019: N/A
Contact with others score: 87
2. Bus drivers: 47% of workers are at least 55 years old.
Median annual salary in May 2019: $43,030
Median age of employees in 2019: 53.7
Contact with others score: 88
1. All other motor vehicle operators: 58% of workers are at least 55 years old.
Median annual salary in May 2019: $32,910
Median age of employees in 2019: 58.6
Contact with others score: N/A