Older job hunters find tough times

Associated Press - May 25, 2009 1:25 PM ET NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Older job hunters are finding it increasingly hard as they seek employment. Older workers spend more time unemployed between jobs than younger workers, labor data show. For someone who is 45 and older, it takes an average of 22 weeks to land a job, compared with 16 weeks for younger job hunters, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. However it's not all bad news for older workers, according to The Tennessean newspaper. That gap has not increased since the start of the recession. And older workers still have an unemployment rate that's below the national average. In March, the jobless rate for those 45 and older was 6.9%, compared with the Tennessee rate of 9.6% and a national rate of 8.5%. Information from: The Tennessean, http://www.tennessean.com