Eugene Salvino, 57, fills out a job application at a job fair in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on August 4, 2009. Salvino's job of 37 years was eliminated a year and a half ago and he's been unable to find a position.(Agencies)

The worst US economic recession in 70 years is forcing senior citizens out of retirement, leaving them fighting for jobs in a weak labor market or risking homelessness, according to a private study.

The study by Experience Works, released on Tuesday, showed 46 percent of the 2,000 low income people over 55 years who participated needed to find work to keep their homes. Nearly half of them had been searching for work for more than a year.

Experience Works is the nation's largest nonprofit provider of community service, training and employment opportunities for older workers. The study was conducted in the past two months and covered 30 states and Puerto Rico.

"These people are at the age where they understandably thought their job-searching years were behind them," said Cynthia Metzler, president and CEO of Experience Works.

"But here they are, many in their 60s, 70s and beyond, desperate to find work so they can keep a roof over their heads and food on the table."

According to the study, many of the participants had no intention of working past their 60th birthday, but had to change plans after being laidoff or following the death of a spouse. Over a third of the participants had retired.

Ninety percent of respondents 76 years and older planned to continue working for the next five years.

Huge medical bills due to a personal illness or that of a spouse were also reasons for coming out of retirement, the survey found. The longest and deepest economic slump since the 1930s is making finding a job for the low-income elderly workers a difficult challenge.

According to Labor Department data, there were 2 million unemployed workers over the age of 55 in August, an increase of 69 percent from the same period last year. Between August 2008 and August this year, the number of unemployed workers 75 years and older increased by 33 percent.

The unemployment rate among workers 55 years and older was 6.7 percent in August after shooting to a record 7.1 percent in July. The national unemployment rate was at 9.7 percent in August, the highest in 26 years.

The Experience Works study found that 46 percent of the elderly jobseekers were sometimes forced to choose between paying rent, buying food or medication. Almost three-quarters believed their age made it harder to compete for jobs with younger workers.

"This study underscores the need to create policies that remove barriers to employment for older workers and provide additional programs and services specifically aimed at helping older people re-enter the work force or remain working," said Metzler.

一项私人调查显示，美国近70年来最严重的经济危机使得一些老年人不得不重返不景气的就业市场重新找工作，否则就可能面临无家可归的境地。

这项于本周二公布的调查由Experience Works机构开展，共有2000名年龄在55岁以上的低收入者参加。调查显示，46%的受访者为了养家糊口需要重新找工作，其中近一半的人已经找了一年多的时间。

Experience Works是美国最大的为老年求职者提供社区服务、培训和就业机会的非赢利性机构。该调查在过去两个月内开展，调查范围覆盖美国30个州以及波多黎各。

Experience Works的总裁兼首席执行官辛蒂娅•麦茨勒说：“这个年龄段的人们难免会觉得他们已经过了找工作的年龄。”

“但是你看，很多六、七十岁，甚至年龄更大的人急切地想找份工作来维持生计。”

调查称，很多受访者本不打算60岁后继续工作，但由于被裁员或丧偶不得不改变计划。其中超过三分之一的受访者已退休。

在76岁及以上的受访者中，90%的人打算再继续工作五年。

调查发现，自己或配偶生病需要支付巨额医药费用也是老年人重新找工作的原因之一。这场自上世纪30年代以来持续时间最久、影响最深的经济危机使得低收入的老年人在找工作时面临了巨大的挑战。

美国劳工部的数据显示，今年八月，美国55岁以上的失业人数达200万，比去年同期增加69%。从去年八月到今年八月，75岁及以上的失业人数增加了33%。

今年八月，美国55岁以上员工的失业率为6.7%，而七月份，这一数据达到了创纪录的7.1%。八月份全美失业率为9.7%，创近26年来最高水平。

Experience Works的调查发现，46%的年长求职者有时不得不在付房租、购买食物和支付医疗费用之间做出选择。近四分之三的受访者认为自己的年龄让他们在找工作时很难与年轻人竞争。

麦茨勒说：“调查让我们认识到，需颁布一些政策来消除老年求职者的就业障碍，并提供额外的计划和服务以帮助老年人重返职场或保住工作。”

Vocabulary:

senior citizen：an elderly or aged person, esp. one who is retired or whose principal source of support is a pension or Social Security benefits（长者，老人。委婉说法，尤指退休者）