Roughly 2 million more people than expected have joined the ranks of the retired during the pandemic, according to The New School's Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis. While some happily chose to retire early, others were forced into retirement after losing their jobs or quitting out of fears of exposure to COVID-19. This doesn't mean that they're permanently out of the workforce...but for older workers, the time away can make finding a new job harder, and they often return to lower wages.