KERSHAW, S.C. – After 16 months, hundreds of applications and repeated rejection, 66-year-old Lynn Lee has returned to work in a state office, an outcome that offers a measure of hope to older job seekers facing a difficult hiring market.
Lee began work Aug. 3 as a fiscal specialist for the South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation Department, which helps people with disabilities prepare for and find employment. Her duties include financial and administrative tasks performed through state data systems.
The Wall Street Journal reported Aug. 20 that Lee had been laid off from a soybean-processing plant in 2025. She had handled invoices and tracked shipments for $17.40 an hour. Her new state salary is slightly higher, bringing her back to an income level comparable to jobs she held during a long career in South Carolina’s textile industry.
Lee applied for municipal positions, staffing-agency work, jobs connected to a local gold mine and many other openings. Applications often produced no response, and interviews ended without an offer. Two positions she obtained lasted only days after health problems arose and managers told her she was not a good fit.
The search became financially urgent after her state unemployment benefits expired. South Carolina generally provides up to 20 weeks of unemployment payments. Lee had received $270 a week and also relied on $830 in monthly benefits connected to an ex-husband who died in 2020.
Her experience reflects a wider labor-market challenge. For much of the past year, more than one-quarter of unemployed Americans had been out of work for at least six months, according to federal data cited by the Journal. Research by the Employee Benefit Research Institute indicates that older workers have more difficulty finding new jobs during tight labor markets unless they possess highly specialized skills.
Lee had survived an earlier industry collapse. She lost a job at Springs Industries after 29 years as textile manufacturing declined across the region, then found other work. The latest search was longer and more discouraging, leading her to question whether age and the changing economy had left her without a path back.
Readers who learned about her experience through earlier Journal coverage sent financial help, which Lee said allowed her to address overdue bills. The support provided temporary relief, but she continued applying because she wanted stable employment.
Starting over brought new pressure. Lee said the first two weeks were exhausting as she learned unfamiliar computer systems and worried about asking too many questions. A patient trainer and supportive supervisors helped her adjust. She gained confidence after completing a check-distribution task independently.
Lee expects to work until about age 70. Her advice to younger workers is to build emergency savings, and her message to people near her age is to continue trying despite rejection. Her story does not erase the barriers older applicants face, but it shows how persistence, training and an employer willing to value experience can produce another chance.
Source: The Wall Street Journal via MSN, published Aug. 20, 2026.
