Number of Working Seniors Rises

A survey conducted in March last year by the bureau, not to be confused with Census 2000, shows that the percentage of men of retirement age, still employed, increased to 19% in 2000 from 16% the previous year while the figure for women remained constant.

In total, the number of US citizens 65 and older working or seeking work rose by 10% between March 1999 and March 2000 to 4.5 million.

Among this group, men, at 19%, were more likely to work in executive, administrative and managerial occupations than women, 12%. However 28% of working women, in this age group, were employed in administrative support positions versus 6% of men.

Overall, there was a 22% increase in the number of seniors employed administrative support positions, including clerical jobs, and an 18% increase in those employed in sales.

Women age 65 and older were also more likely to be living in poverty than their male counterparts, 11.8% versus 6.9%, reflecting their lower incomes and longer life spans.

Read more at the Census Bureau news site at http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/date.html