本研究主要目的為探討1996年起中高齡勞工的失業現況，及比較1982年起循環性失業潮下，與1996年起結構性失業潮下，兩波失業潮間中高齡失業勞工人口、工作特徵及失業風險的差異與變遷。(1)經分析官方二手統計資料顯示，現階段中高齡勞工失業人數確已遽增、其平均失業週數較前延長、且再就業益加困難，這些現象應與關廠歇業日漸增加及勞動市場存在對中高齡的年齡歧視有關。(2)經使用行政院主計處1982至1986年及1996至2000年「人力運用調查」原始統計檔案為資料來源，分別將各五年之中高齡勞動力資料合併為兩波失業潮加以比較，研究發現：(1)1996年結構性失業潮之中高齡失業勞工有相對年輕化、女性化、及高學歷化的趨勢，同時其工作特徵亦相對較多來自工業部門、藍領職業、中小企業、及身份為受雇用等；(2)在控制個人及工作特徵等變項下，1996年失業潮之中高齡勞工平均失業風險較1982年失業潮者為高；(3)受雇於工業部門的中高齡勞工，其在1996年失業潮中之失業風險較1982年失業潮者為高，而受雇於農林漁牧業及服務業者，在兩波失業潮中則無差異；同時職業屬於藍領之次要勞動市場中高齡勞工，其在1996年失業潮中之失業風險亦較高，但是對於白領職業之高層及基層主要勞動市場者則無差異；(4)中高齡勞工失業的決定因素在此兩波失業潮中亦有差異，1996年失業潮中，工業部門的失業風險明顯高於服務業及農林漁牧業部門，次要勞動市場之失業風險亦高於基層和高層主要勞動市場，同時個人人力資本如教育程度與工作經驗亦均有助於失業風險降低，這些特徵則在1982年失業潮中並未出現。

Using the data from the 1982-1986 and the 1996-2000 Manpower Utilization Surveys, we explore how unemployment trends for older workers has changed between these two periods. We have found that: (1) unemployed older workers between 1996 and 2000 tend to be younger, consist of a greater ratio of females, and are better educated than those from the 1982-1986 period, and (2) given that personal and work characteristics are equal, older workers from the 1996-2000 period are more likely to be laid off or fired than those from the 1982-1986 period; (3) unlike older workers in the farm and service sectors, older workers in the industrial sector were more likely to become unemployed in the 1996-2000 period than they were in the 1982-1986 period; also unlike older workers in the upper and lower primary labor markets, older workers in the secondary labor market were more likely to become unemployed in the 1996-2000 period; (4) generally speaking, the determinants for unemployment for older workers are also different between these two periods.