Kohl to Hold Hearing on Solutions to the Long-Term Unemployment Crisis Facing Older Workers

Washington, D.C. - On Tuesday May 15, 2012, at 2:30 p.m. in Dirksen 562, the Senate Special Committee on Aging will hold a hearing entitled, "Missed by the Recovery: Solving the Long-term Unemployment Crisis for Older Workers."

The hearing will include testimony from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) on the findings of a new report that looks at how the employment status of older workers has changed since the recession; older workers' financial risks from long-term unemployment and challenges in finding new jobs; and, at what additional policies might help older workers regain employment and what steps the Department of Labor has taken to help unemployed older workers.

The hearing will include testimony on a Connecticut program that has had great success in assisting older workers facing long-term unemployment find new jobs, and experts who will discuss the challenges older workers face. The hearing will also include testimony from an older worker on her difficulties in finding employment in this economy, despite a strong work history.

Witnesses

Sheila Whitelaw, Philadelphia, Pa.

Charles Jeszeck, Director, Education, Workforce, and Income Security, Government Accountability Office, Washington, D.C.

Joe Carbone, President and CEO, The WorkPlace, Bridgeport, Conn.

Diana Furchtgott-Roth, Senior Fellow, Manhattan Institute, Washington, D.C.

Christine Owens, Executive Director, National Employment Law Project, Washington, D.C.