Too Old to Hire? These Americans Lost Their Jobs at 60

Losing a job is hard at any age. But for Americans around age 60, it can be especially tough. They are often seen as too old by employers who want long-term workers, yet they are too young to collect Social Security or Medicare benefits. Ten people shared their stories of being laid off near age 60 — and what happened next.

A nonprofit group called the Transamerica Institute studies workers and retirement. Its CEO, Catherine Collinson, said workers in their late 50s and early 60s face a painful trap. In a 2023 survey, employers were asked what age is "too old" to hire, and the most common answer was 58. That is a big problem, since Social Security does not start until age 62 and Medicare — the government health insurance for retirees — does not begin until 65.

Cynthia Hennessy was a corporate lawyer in Seattle who was laid off in 2024 at age 61, after nearly 25 years at AT&T and its TV company, DirecTV. The company had even written an announcement saying she was "retiring" — but she was not. After losing her job, she applied for many positions, including a job driving the famous Oscar Mayer Wienermobile, which she also did not get. After posting about it online, she became known as "the Wienermobile lady."

Hennessy eventually found work as a lawyer at the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The pay is lower than before, but she says she is very happy. She now works set hours and no longer puts in long nights or weekends. In her free time, she takes art and writing classes, plays mahjong, and cares for her elderly parents.

Todd Fannin, 62, had a long string of high-paying jobs at insurance companies, but layoffs kept forcing him and his wife, Carrie, to move to new cities. After one more layoff in January 2025, Carrie said enough was enough. The couple decided to stop chasing corporate jobs and instead used $300,000 from their retirement savings to buy a franchise business called Archadeck Outdoor Living, which builds decks and patios. Their goal is to earn between $650,000 and $2.5 million a year within a few years.

Margaret Bowles, now 74, lost her job as a real estate lawyer in Houston 14 years ago. Jobs were very scarce at the time, and she sent out about a thousand résumés and heard almost nothing back. To pay her bills, she picked up odd jobs and remembered something she had always loved: taking photos. She threw herself into sports photography, slowly built a career, and today works for the Associated Press shooting more than 40 NFL games a year.

Steve Goodrich is a 63-year-old software engineer in Colorado who has been laid off eight or nine times over 38 years. A financial planner told him he has saved only about 54% of what he needs to retire safely, so he still has a long way to go. After his most recent layoff, he applied to more than 150 jobs over five months before landing a new one. He expects to keep working until at least age 70.

Joanne Dority, who worked in tech sales near age 60, noticed that she only got hired when the manager interviewing her was close to her own age. Her last job came that way, but after that manager left, she was shuffled around the company and eventually fired just three days before her 62nd birthday. She believes age bias played a big role. She kept searching and finally found a new job on a team made up mostly of older workers.

Gerry Elam, 68, had always lived carefully with money, spending far less than he earned and paying off his home early. When General Electric downsized his team during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, he chose to retire at 62 rather than compete for his job. His careful saving paid off — he had a pension and a large retirement account. His biggest challenge now is learning to spend money after a lifetime of saving it.

Jacqueline Kortz, 60, of Scottsdale, Arizona, lost her fully remote, six-figure HR job in June when her company cut workers. She found the job search discouraging, especially since many open jobs required working in an office. Her financial adviser says she could retire early if needed, but health insurance is a major obstacle — it could cost her more than $1,200 a month out of pocket.

Ananda Arasu, 58, was laid off from his marketing job at the software company Autodesk and found the job market flooded with other experienced professionals. A career counselor advised him to focus his résumé on recent work and leave off the dates of his college degrees to avoid age bias. He eventually returned to Autodesk as a contractor while still looking for something permanent. "I still have a lot to give," he said. "We are older, but it's not like we're dead."

JoAnne Kim lost her marketing job in Qatar in 2023 at age 62 and explored living in other countries before settling in Mérida, Mexico. After her husband Yunki landed a permanent remote job with a U.S. company, they decided to move back to the United States, making a long five-day drive from Mexico to Pennsylvania. Now living in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, JoAnne is still figuring out her next chapter. "I don't want to stop," she wrote.

Joe Miccichè was laid off from his network engineer job at age 58 and, after consulting several financial advisers, decided to retire early. But unexpected changes to health insurance laws caused his premiums to jump by 261%, forcing him to rethink his whole plan. Now 61, he is still adjusting to the idea of spending his savings instead of building them. "When you've been working for 30-some years and all of a sudden you don't have a paycheck," he said, "it was just very difficult for me to accept."