"According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average period of joblessness has reached about 40 weeks, roughly three times the duration during the 2001 recession. As bad as that sounds, it's worse for people 55 and older. Their average unemployment duration has reached 56 weeks -- 19 weeks more than for people under 55. Among other things, that means a nasty hit to an older person's retirement plan at a point when he or she can least afford it."