FLORENCE, Ala. (AP) — Being unemployed is tough enough, but job seekers who are middle-aged or near retirement age face significant challenges as they try to stay in or re-enter the work force.

Melody Austin, who is in her early 50s, was employed at a financial institution for 30 years. After a “reduction in staff,” she lost her job in October.

Austin wasn’t nearly ready to retire, so to get back on the job market, she underwent a long list of the tools typical to job seekers: resume coaching, visits to an unemployment agency, searches of the state’s job listings, newspaper ads and follow-up of leads from friends.

“I used all the resources I could think of,” Austin said.

She also balanced the business of looking for work with watching her granddaughter and teaching a cake decorating class. Still, no job.

As the baby boomer generation nears retirement age, the older work force is expected to dominate projected increases in the labor force between 2006 and 2016, according to a projection from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Those aged 55 or older are expected to make up more than 90 percent of the projected increase of 12.8 million people in the work force by 2016.

“Once they have reached a life stage, they have a lifestyle (to maintain). There is a challenge to find something that they were making that is comparable,” said Kerry Sutherlin, senior manager at the Shoals Career Center.

Lila Currie is 61 years old and is looking for work.

Unemployed since May 2007, Currie had a steady 23-year career at Culligan in North Brook, Ill., working assembly and packaging at the water purification plant.

Currie, originally from Russellville, recently moved back, living with her sister, and has visited the Shoals Career Center in Sheffield three times.

She’s taken computer retraining classes, becoming proficient in Word and Excel software, and has already visited several companies and temp services.

Still, there’s no job in sight.

“The job market is sort of slow right now, like it is around the country,” Currie said.

“Age may be affecting my search, but some people tell me it’s not,” Currie said. “People may want older workers because they tend to work longer (with one company).”