Older + educated = toast

A Calculated Risk reader pulled out some interesting (and depressing) numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics about long-term unemployed. She found that the average length of unemployment is always higher for those 45 and older (not a big surprise). The zinger is that in general the more education someone has, the longer the average length of unemployment. The reader sums it up:

More education = longer unemployment if the job is lost. The upside is the more educated the worker, the less likely they are to lose their job, but the downside of being more educated is that once they hit 45 if they lose their job, they are toast. So what does one do with the over-45s with a BA or higher? ... The current mantra is 'more education is good for you' but this shows that it can, in the long run, hurt you.