The overall unemployment rate stands at 9.5% today and averaged 9.3% in the second quarter. While I have sympathy for anyone involuntarily unemployed, it seems like white men over 55 are doing relatively well all things considered.
It's also a question of what unemployment does to you financially or psychologically. At 55, the damage from 6 months off the books could be a lot worse then 25 or 35.
They are more likely to be inflexible in their spending. They are more likely to be frantically saving for retirement. They are also more likely to get demoralised. You can go from "I have 30 years experience. You can't buy that." to "No one wants to hire a middle aged employee" very quickly. They may have more of an emotional attachment to their work identity: a foreman, a manager. A 30 year old fired from a middle management job forced to temp as a receptionist is likely to be demoralised. A 55 year old in that position might be a lot worse off. I wouldn't be surprised if the older one turned down these positions or (more likely) never apply for them to a greater degree then younger people. Taking the opportunity to retrain in a new 'career' is also less likely.