 djoles@startribune.com People over 50 who lost their jobs during the recession have taken a permanent hit, many of them whisked into an unemployed/retired limbo. They can't find a good job and they haven't saved enough. They sell life insurance and do odd jobs and a little freelance work here and there. More than 52,000 people in Minnesota have been unemployed for more than six months, and those who lost jobs and were rehired elsewhere lost earning power across the demographic spectrum, especially in comparison to those who kept their jobs.](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/4S6MONXWRRZQFBUQ7O6LTKUO4Q.jpg?&w=1080)
Mike Duffy, a 62-year-old former high-powered salesman who couldn't find well-paid work and then took a position in October at Starbucks, has found a new job.
"Yesterday I accepted a job with the State of Minnesota. I gave Starbucks my 2 weeks notice," he said. "I am really excited. It looks like a great fit for my skills at this point in my life."
He'll be a customer service representative assisting state employees and retirees who have questions or issues with their benefits. The job starts March 19.
Duffy was the subject of a lengthy story we published a month ago on the struggles of older workers in the job market. He had earned a six-figure salary for two decades, but when he lost his job in 2007 he had a difficult time finding anything similar.
By 2013, he gave up and took a job serving coffee at Starbucks. He enjoyed the job, but earned less in a day than he used to earn in half-an-hour at the peak of his sales career.
Duffy said he started getting job inquiries the morning the story ran in the newspaper, and was flooded with calls and emails.
(photo by David Joles, Mike Duffy and his son Ryan, who has spina bifida)
