Internet address: http://stats.bls.gov/newsrels.htm Technical information: (202) 691-6378 USDL 00-245 For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT Media contact: 691-5902 Tuesday, August 29, 2000 EMPLOYEE TENURE IN 2000 The median number of years that wage and salary workers had been with their current employer (referred to as employee tenure) was 3.5 years in February 2000, about the same as in February 1998, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported. Although the median years of tenure has been consistantly higher for men than for women, the gap has narrowed in recent years. Information on tenure has been obtained periodically since the early 1950s from supplemental questions in the Current Population Survey (CPS), a monthly survey of about 50,000 households that provides information on employment, unemployment, earnings, demographics, and other characteristics of the civilian noninstitutional population age 16 and over. The questions on tenure measure how long workers had been with their current employer at the time they were surveyed, not how long they will eventually stay with their employer. The tenure questions that were asked prior to 1983 differ from those asked in more recent surveys. As a result, this release focuses only on data from 1983 to 2000. (See the Technical Note.) Some highlights follow: -- Median years of tenure tend to increase with age. For example, the median tenure for older workers age 45 to 54 was more than three times that of workers age 25 to 34. -- About one-fourth of all workers had been with their current employer for 12 months or less. -- Among men, the proportion of workers who had been with their current employer for 10 or more years fell in nearly every age group over the 1983-to-2000 period. Among women, the proportion of workers with 10 or more years of tenure increased. -- The median years of tenure for men in most age groups had been declining from 1983-98. There were, however, virtually no further declines between 1998 and 2000. Over this 2-year period, median tenure for women by age also was stable. -- The median years of tenure for workers in the public sector was more than twice that of workers in the private sector. Government workers tend to be older than workers in private industries. -- Managers and professionals had the highest median years of tenure among the major occupational groups, while workers in service occupa- tions had the lowest median tenure. Managers and professionals tend to be older than workers in service occupations. - 2 - Demographic characteristics The median tenure (the point at which half of the workers had more tenure and half had less tenure) was 3.8 years for men and 3.3 years for women in February 2000. Though the median years of tenure has been consistently higher for men than for women, in recent years, the gap has narrowed to about one-half year from about a year in 1983 through 1991. (See table 1.) For men, median tenure in February 2000 was unchanged from February 1998, but slightly lower than in January 1983, despite an upward shift in the age of the male workforce. As shown below, a larger proportion of male wage and salary workers was between the ages of 35 and 54 in February 2000 than in January 1983. All other things being equal, this age shift would have been associated with an increase in median tenure because, until retirement age, tenure tends to increase with age. However, a decline in median tenure for men in most age groups offset the aging effect. For women, median years of tenure was only slightly higher in February 2000, although there also was an upward shift in the age of the female workforce from 1983 to 2000. Percent distribution of employed wage and salary workers by age and sex, January 1983 and February 2000 -------------------------------------------------------------------- | | | Men | Women | | Age |--------------------|------------------- | | | | | January | February | January | February | 1983 | 2000 | 1983 | 2000 | | | | ---------------------------|---------|----------|---------|--------- | | | | Total, 16 years and over..| 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | | | | 16 to 24 years.............| 20.0 | 15.9 | 22.5 | 16.1 25 to 34 years.............| 29.9 | 24.4 | 28.9 | 23.0 35 to 44 years.............| 21.2 | 27.3 | 21.2 | 26.9 45 to 54 years.............| 15.6 | 20.6 | 14.7 | 22.1 55 to 64 years.............| 11.1 | 9.4 | 10.5 | 9.5 65 years and over..........| 2.2 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.5 -------------------------------------------------------------------- Note: Data exclude the incorporated and unincorporated self-employed. Thirty-four percent of male workers age 25 and over had worked for their current employer for 10 years or more in February 2000, compared with 30 percent of working women. (See table 2. Workers age 16 to 24 are excluded from table 2 because few of these young workers could have been with their current employer for 10 or more years.) The proportion of employed men with 10 or more years of tenure with their current employer declined by about 4 percentage points over the January 1983 to February 2000 period, while the proportion of employed women with 10 or more years of tenure increased by almost 5 percentage points. Declines in the proportion of men with long tenure were widespread among men age 25 to 64; increases in the proportion of women with long tenure occurred entirely among 35- to 64-year-olds. - 3 - In February 2000, a smaller percentage of Hispanic workers had 10 or more years of tenure with their current employer than blacks or whites. Nearly 1 in 5 working Hispanics (age 16 and over) had been with their current employer for 10 years or more, compared with 1 in 4 of either black or white workers. (See table 3.) This difference can be explained, in part, by the fact that the Hispanic workforce is relatively young. For example, 61 percent of white and 58 percent of black workers were age 35 and over in February 2000; only 49 percent of employed Hispanics were in this age range. In addition, according to Current Population Survey data, about 1 in 5 Hispanic workers age 25 and over had immigrated to the United States in the last 10 years. In February 2000, more than a quarter of all wage and salary workers had been with their current employer for 12 months or less. This group includes new entrants and reentrants to the workforce, job losers who found new jobs during the previous year, and workers who had voluntarily changed employers during the previous year. Young workers are more likely to have short tenure: Seventy-five percent of 16- to 19-year-olds and 55 percent of 20- to 24-year-olds had tenure of 12 months or less with their current employer. Conversely, for workers age 55 to 64, that share was only 11 percent, while 28 percent had worked for their current employer 20 years or more. Industry In February 2000, nonagricultural wage and salary workers in the public sector had much higher median tenure (7.2 years) than their counterparts in private industries (3.2 years). Government workers tend to be older than workers in private industries. For example, 73 percent of government workers are age 35 and over, compared with 58 percent of those in the private sector. (See table 5.) Within the private sector, workers in the mining industry had the highest median tenure (6.5 years) and workers in retail trade had the lowest median tenure (2.0 years) in February 2000. Seventy-seven percent of the workers in the mining industry are age 35 and over compared with 42 percent of workers in retail trade. Occupation In February 2000, managers and professionals had the highest median tenure (4.8 years) among the major occupational groups. Within this group, officials and administrators in public administration had the highest median tenure, 12.0 years. Workers in service occupations had the lowest median years of tenure, 2.5 years. Within services, food service workers had the lowest median tenure (1.5 years), while protective service workers had the highest median tenure (5.7 years). A greater percentage of workers in the managerial and professional specialty occupations than in the service occupations are age 35 and older. (See table 6.) Technical Note The data in this release were collected through a supplement to the February 2000 Current Population Survey (CPS), the monthly survey of about 50,000 households that provides information on employment, unemployment, earnings, demographics, and other characteristics of the nation's civilian noninstitutional population age 16 and over. The CPS is conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The February 2000 CPS supplement obtained information on worker displacement and on workers' tenure with their current employer. The data on worker displacement appear in the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) news release USDL 00-223, "Worker Displacement During the Late 1990s," issued on Aug. 9, 2000. Information in this release will be made available to sensory-impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200; TDD message referral phone number: 1-800-877-8339. Reliability of the estimates Statistics based on the CPS are subject to both sampling and nonsampling error. When a sample, rather than the entire population, is surveyed, there is a chance that the sample estimates may differ from the "true" population values they represent. The exact difference, or sampling error, varies depending on the particular sample selected, and this variability is measured by the standard error of the estimate. There is about a 90- percent chance, or level of confidence, that an estimate based on a sample will differ by no more than 1.6 standard errors from the "true" population value because of sampling error. BLS analyses are generally conducted at the 90-percent level of confidence. The CPS data also are affected by nonsampling error. Nonsampling error can occur for many reasons, including the failure to sample a segment of the population, inability to obtain information for all respondents in the sample, inability or unwillingness of respondents to provide correct information, and errors made in the collection or processing of the data. For a full discussion of the reliability of data from the CPS and information on estimating standard errors, see the "Explanatory Notes and Estimates of Error" section of Employment and Earnings. Tenure questions and concepts In the February 2000 CPS supplement, questions on tenure were asked of all employed persons. The first question was: "How long has ... been working continuously for (fill in name of present employer)?" _____ Days _____ Weeks _____ Months _____ Years For responses of "1 year" or "2 years," a follow-up question asked: "Could you please give the exact number of months?" - 2 - The purpose of the follow-up question was to obtain more precise information on workers who had been with their current employer a relatively short time. This follow-up question was included for the first time in the February 1996 CPS supplement on worker displacement and tenure. CPS supplements that obtained information on tenure in January of 1983, 1987, and 1991 did not include the follow-up question. In those surveys, responses of 1 year or more could be coded only as the nearest full year, and responses of less than a year were coded as the nearest full month. Prior to January 1983, CPS supplements on tenure asked wage and salary workers, "When did ... start working at (his/her) present job?" For wage and salary workers, the meaning of the term "job" is ambiguous. For example, a worker who had been employed at a particular company for 10 years and had been promoted to a managerial position 1 year prior to the survey may have been counted as having 10 years or 1 year of tenure, depending on whether the respondent interpreted the question to mean tenure with the current employer or tenure in the managerial position. To rectify this ambiguity, the wording of the question was changed in January 1983 to specify the length of time a worker had been with his or her current employer. The change resulted in a break in historical comparability, and, for this reason, estimates of tenure are not presented in this release for years prior to 1983. Interpreting tenure data Data on tenure have been used as a gauge of employment security, with some observers regarding increases in tenure as a sign of improving security and decreasing tenure as a sign of deteriorating security. However, there are limitations to using the data in this way. For example, during recessions or other periods of declining job security, median tenure and the proportion of workers with long tenure could rise because less- senior workers are more likely to lose their jobs than are workers with longer tenure. During periods of economic growth, median tenure and the proportion of workers with long tenure could fall because more job opportunities are available for new entrants to the workforce and experienced workers have more opportunities to change employers and take better jobs. Tenure also could rise under improving economic conditions, however, as fewer layoffs occur and good job matches develop between workers and employers. Table 1. Median years of tenure with current employer for employed wage and salary workers by age and sex, selected years, 1983-2000 Age and sex January January January February February February 1983 1987 1991 1996 1998 2000 TOTAL 16 years and over...................... 3.5 3.4 3.6 3.8 3.6 3.5 16 to 17 years............................... .7 .6 .7 .7 .6 .6 18 to 19 years............................... .8 .7 .8 .7 .7 .7 20 to 24 years............................... 1.5 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.1 1.1 25 years and over............................ 5.0 5.0 4.8 5.0 4.7 4.7 25 to 34 years............................. 3.0 2.9 2.9 2.8 2.7 2.6 35 to 44 years............................. 5.2 5.5 5.4 5.3 5.0 4.8 45 to 54 years............................. 9.5 8.8 8.9 8.3 8.1 8.2 55 to 64 years............................. 12.2 11.6 11.1 10.2 10.1 10.0 65 years and over.......................... 9.6 9.5 8.1 8.4 7.8 9.5 Men 16 years and over...................... 4.1 4.0 4.1 4.0 3.8 3.8 16 to 17 years............................... .7 .6 .7 .6 .6 .6 18 to 19 years............................... .8 .7 .8 .7 .7 .7 20 to 24 years............................... 1.5 1.3 1.4 1.2 1.2 1.2 25 years and over............................ 5.9 5.7 5.4 5.3 4.9 5.0 25 to 34 years............................. 3.2 3.1 3.1 3.0 2.8 2.7 35 to 44 years............................. 7.3 7.0 6.5 6.1 5.5 5.4 45 to 54 years............................. 12.8 11.8 11.2 10.1 9.4 9.5 55 to 64 years............................. 15.3 14.5 13.4 10.5 11.2 10.2 65 years and over.......................... 8.3 8.3 7.0 8.3 7.1 9.1 Women 16 years and over...................... 3.1 3.0 3.2 3.5 3.4 3.3 16 to 17 years............................... .7 .6 .7 .7 .7 .6 18 to 19 years............................... .8 .7 .8 .7 .7 .7 20 to 24 years............................... 1.5 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.1 1.0 25 years and over............................ 4.2 4.3 4.3 4.7 4.4 4.4 25 to 34 years............................. 2.8 2.6 2.7 2.7 2.5 2.5 35 to 44 years............................. 4.1 4.4 4.5 4.8 4.5 4.3 45 to 54 years............................. 6.3 6.8 6.7 7.0 7.2 7.3 55 to 64 years............................. 9.8 9.7 9.9 10.0 9.6 9.9 65 years and over.......................... 10.1 9.9 9.5 8.4 8.7 9.7 NOTE: Data for 1996, 1998, and 2000 are not strictly comparable with data for 1991 and earlier years because population controls from the 1990 census, adjusted for the estimated undercount, are used beginning in 1996. Figures for the 1983-91 period are based on population controls from the 1980 census. Also, beginning in 1996, the figures incorporate the effects of the redesign of the Current Population Survey introduced in January 1994. Data exclude the incorporated and unincorporated self-employed. Table 2. Percent of employed wage and salary workers 25 years and over who had 10 years or more of tenure with their current employer by age and sex, selected years, 1983-2000 Age and sex January January January February February February 1983 1987 1991 1996 1998 2000 TOTAL 25 years and over..................... 31.9 30.7 32.2 30.5 30.7 31.7 25 to 29 years............................... 3.3 4.1 5.1 2.8 2.7 2.5 30 to 34 years............................... 16.9 16.9 19.3 14.7 14.7 14.0 35 to 39 years............................... 29.9 29.6 31.1 26.9 27.0 26.2 40 to 44 years............................... 38.1 38.7 39.3 36.1 35.6 35.9 45 to 49 years............................... 46.5 45.2 46.5 44.5 42.9 45.3 50 to 54 years............................... 53.5 51.8 51.4 50.4 48.8 48.6 55 to 59 years............................... 59.3 57.6 56.7 54.0 52.9 53.1 60 to 64 years............................... 59.8 55.9 55.4 51.5 54.4 53.2 65 years and over............................ 50.9 50.1 46.3 47.4 45.0 50.0 Men 25 years and over..................... 37.7 35.0 35.9 33.1 32.7 33.6 25 to 29 years............................... 4.0 4.5 5.7 3.3 3.1 3.0 30 to 34 years............................... 18.7 18.7 21.1 15.6 15.3 15.3 35 to 39 years............................... 36.9 34.8 35.6 30.5 29.7 29.5 40 to 44 years............................... 51.1 48.5 46.3 41.7 39.1 40.4 45 to 49 years............................... 57.8 53.0 53.5 50.8 47.4 49.0 50 to 54 years............................... 62.3 59.4 58.5 54.9 52.8 51.6 55 to 59 years............................... 66.2 63.2 61.0 55.7 56.5 53.7 60 to 64 years............................... 65.6 58.7 57.5 50.4 55.7 52.5 65 years and over............................ 47.6 47.4 42.6 47.6 42.3 48.9 Women 25 years and over..................... 24.9 25.7 28.2 27.6 28.4 29.5 25 to 29 years............................... 2.5 3.6 4.4 2.2 2.2 1.9 30 to 34 years............................... 14.8 14.7 17.3 13.6 14.0 12.6 35 to 39 years............................... 21.6 23.8 26.1 22.9 24.0 22.4 40 to 44 years............................... 23.4 27.9 32.0 30.4 31.8 31.4 45 to 49 years............................... 33.0 36.4 39.3 38.1 38.4 41.5 50 to 54 years............................... 42.5 43.0 43.4 45.8 44.6 45.6 55 to 59 years............................... 51.0 50.8 51.4 52.1 49.2 52.5 60 to 64 years............................... 52.6 52.4 53.1 52.7 53.0 54.0 65 years and over............................ 54.5 53.1 49.9 47.2 47.7 51.2 NOTE: Data for 1996, 1998, and 2000 are not strictly comparable with data for 1991 and earlier years because population controls from the 1990 census, adjusted for the estimated undercount, are used beginning in 1996. Figures for the 1983-91 period are based on population controls from the 1980 census. Also, beginning in 1996, the figures incorporate the effects of the redesign of the Current Population Survey introduced in January 1994. Data exclude the incorporated and unincorporated self-employed. Table 3. Distribution of employed wage and salary workers by tenure with current employer, age, sex, race, and Hispanic origin, February 2000 Percent distribution by tenure with current employer Number Age, sex, race, and employed Hispanic origin (in thousands) 12 13 to 3 to 4 5 to 9 10 to 15 to 20 Total months 23 2 years years years 14 19 years or less months years years or more TOTAL 16 years and over. 120,303 100.0 26.8 8.0 5.3 16.1 17.1 11.0 6.1 9.5 16 to 19 years........... 6,713 100.0 75.1 11.9 6.9 5.8 .3 - - - 20 years and over........ 113,590 100.0 24.0 7.7 5.3 16.7 18.1 11.7 6.4 10.1 20 to 24 years......... 12,535 100.0 54.7 13.0 9.3 17.5 5.5 (1) - - 25 to 34 years......... 28,560 100.0 31.1 10.3 7.1 21.9 21.2 7.4 .9 (1) 35 to 44 years......... 32,625 100.0 19.4 6.9 4.5 16.9 21.2 15.5 9.5 6.1 45 to 54 years......... 25,650 100.0 13.7 5.4 3.3 13.0 17.7 14.9 10.0 21.8 55 to 64 years......... 11,326 100.0 11.2 3.9 3.3 11.7 16.8 15.8 9.8 27.5 65 years and over...... 2,893 100.0 12.9 4.9 2.7 12.6 16.9 15.4 9.2 25.5 Men 16 years and over. 62,306 100.0 25.6 7.7 5.3 15.8 17.3 10.9 6.5 11.0 16 to 19 years........... 3,401 100.0 73.8 12.2 7.7 6.0 .4 - - - 20 years and over........ 58,905 100.0 22.9 7.4 5.2 16.4 18.2 11.5 6.8 11.6 20 to 24 years......... 6,499 100.0 52.0 12.7 9.2 19.8 6.1 .1 - - 25 to 34 years......... 15,222 100.0 29.4 10.0 7.3 21.8 22.1 8.4 .9 (1) 35 to 44 years......... 17,023 100.0 17.9 6.4 4.2 15.7 20.9 16.4 11.1 7.3 45 to 54 years......... 12,858 100.0 13.1 5.0 3.2 11.7 16.8 13.0 10.8 26.3 55 to 64 years......... 5,841 100.0 11.2 3.9 3.2 11.4 16.9 14.5 8.2 30.6 65 years and over...... 1,461 100.0 14.4 3.4 2.5 12.2 18.5 12.7 8.1 28.0 Women 16 years and over. 57,997 100.0 28.1 8.3 5.4 16.4 17.0 11.1 5.7 8.0 16 to 19 years........... 3,312 100.0 76.5 11.7 6.0 5.6 .1 - - - 20 years and over........ 54,685 100.0 25.2 8.1 5.3 17.1 18.0 11.8 6.0 8.5 20 to 24 years......... 6,037 100.0 57.6 13.3 9.4 15.0 4.8 - - - 25 to 34 years......... 13,338 100.0 33.0 10.7 6.8 22.0 20.2 6.3 1.0 - 35 to 44 years......... 15,601 100.0 21.0 7.4 4.9 18.2 21.5 14.4 7.8 4.8 45 to 54 years......... 12,791 100.0 14.4 5.9 3.5 14.3 18.7 16.8 9.2 17.3 55 to 64 years......... 5,485 100.0 11.3 3.8 3.4 11.9 16.6 17.2 11.6 24.3 65 years and over...... 1,432 100.0 11.5 6.4 2.8 12.9 15.3 18.0 10.3 22.8 White 16 years and over.... 100,624 100.0 26.2 8.0 5.2 16.0 17.1 11.2 6.3 9.8 Men...................... 52,890 100.0 24.9 7.6 5.3 15.7 17.2 11.0 6.6 11.5 Women.................... 47,735 100.0 27.6 8.5 5.2 16.4 17.0 11.4 6.0 7.9 Black 16 years and over.... 14,199 100.0 29.3 7.0 6.1 15.6 17.6 10.0 5.3 9.2 Men...................... 6,546 100.0 29.0 7.2 6.0 15.1 17.8 10.1 6.2 8.6 Women.................... 7,653 100.0 29.5 6.8 6.1 16.1 17.4 9.8 4.5 9.8 Hispanic origin 16 years and over.... 13,767 100.0 30.7 8.3 7.7 18.1 16.6 8.8 4.3 5.5 Men...................... 7,971 100.0 28.7 8.0 7.6 17.7 17.6 9.6 4.8 6.0 Women.................... 5,796 100.0 33.4 8.6 7.9 18.7 15.3 7.7 3.7 4.7 1 Less than 0.05 percent. NOTE: Detail for the above race and Hispanic-origin groups will not sum to totals because data for the "other races" groups are not presented and Hispanics are included in both the white and black population groups. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Data exclude the incorporated and unincorporated self-employed. Dash represents zero. Table 4. Median years of tenure with current employer for employed wage and salary workers 25 years and over by educational attainment, sex, and age, February 2000 25 years and over Educational attainment and sex Total 25 to 34 35 to 44 45 to 54 55 to 64 65 years years years years years and over Total.......................... 4.7 2.6 4.8 8.2 10.0 9.5 Less than a high school diploma.... 3.7 2.0 3.5 5.0 9.5 9.1 High school graduates, no college.. 5.0 2.8 5.1 8.1 10.0 8.6 Some college, no degree............ 4.7 2.7 5.0 8.7 9.7 7.9 Associate degree................... 4.7 2.9 4.8 7.5 9.6 6.2 College graduates.................. 4.7 2.5 5.0 9.4 10.9 11.0 Bachelor's degree................ 4.3 2.6 4.9 8.2 10.3 10.4 Master's degree.................. 6.1 2.6 5.5 10.9 11.1 10.2 Doctoral or professional degree.. 5.2 1.9 4.3 9.2 13.5 15.4 Men............................ 5.0 2.7 5.4 9.5 10.2 9.1 Less than a high school diploma.... 4.2 2.4 4.1 5.6 10.1 7.8 High school graduates, no college.. 5.3 3.1 5.9 9.7 10.1 8.9 Some college, no degree............ 5.1 2.8 5.9 10.1 10.0 7.1 Associate degree................... 5.2 3.1 6.6 8.4 9.3 5.1 College graduates.................. 4.8 2.5 5.0 9.9 10.8 10.9 Bachelor's degree................ 4.5 2.5 5.2 9.4 9.9 11.3 Master's degree.................. 5.4 2.5 4.8 10.5 10.3 7.3 Doctoral or professional degree.. 6.6 2.0 4.0 10.5 14.9 16.0 Women.......................... 4.4 2.5 4.3 7.3 9.9 9.7 Less than a high school diploma.... 3.2 1.2 2.8 4.2 7.8 9.8 High school graduates, no college.. 4.6 2.5 4.3 7.0 10.0 8.3 Some college, no degree............ 4.4 2.5 4.4 7.7 9.4 8.9 Associate degree................... 4.1 2.8 3.9 6.7 9.8 8.7 College graduates.................. 4.6 2.6 5.0 8.6 11.1 11.5 Bachelor's degree................ 4.1 2.6 4.5 7.2 10.7 10.1 Master's degree.................. 6.7 2.7 6.6 11.5 12.3 15.4 Doctoral or professional degree.. 3.9 1.8 4.6 5.2 10.0 4.1 NOTE: Data exclude the incorporated and unincorporated self-employed. Table 5. Median years of tenure with current employer for employed wage and salary workers by industry, selected years, 1983-2000 Industry January January January February February February 1983 1987 1991 1996 1998 2000 Total, 16 years and over.............................. 3.5 3.4 3.6 3.8 3.6 3.5 Agriculture.............................................. 2.2 2.4 2.6 3.4 2.9 3.1 Nonagricultural industries............................... 3.6 3.4 3.6 3.8 3.6 3.5 Government............................................. 5.8 6.5 6.5 6.9 7.3 7.2 Private industries..................................... 3.2 3.0 3.2 3.3 3.2 3.2 Mining............................................... 3.4 6.1 5.8 6.1 5.6 6.5 Construction......................................... 2.0 2.0 2.6 2.9 2.7 2.8 Manufacturing........................................ 5.4 5.5 5.2 5.4 4.9 5.0 Durable goods(1)................................... 5.6 6.0 5.8 5.3 4.9 4.9 Lumber and wood products......................... 4.0 3.2 3.6 3.3 3.8 4.0 Furniture and fixtures........................... 4.2 3.2 4.0 4.2 3.9 4.1 Stone, clay, and glass products.................. 7.0 6.8 6.3 5.1 6.1 5.4 Primary metal industries......................... 10.0 10.2 9.7 8.1 8.0 7.0 Fabricated metal products........................ 5.7 5.5 5.5 5.1 4.0 4.7 Machinery and computing equipment................ 5.8 6.7 5.9 5.2 4.4 4.5 Electrical machinery, equipment, and supplies.... 4.7 4.8 5.5 4.9 5.0 4.7 Transportation equipment(1)...................... 8.8 8.0 7.6 8.3 7.8 6.4 Motor vehicles and equipment................... 13.0 11.2 11.7 7.8 6.4 5.8 Aircraft and parts............................. 6.4 6.8 6.3 9.8 9.6 9.7 Professional and photographic equipment and watches......................................... 4.7 5.9 5.1 5.1 5.5 5.2 Toys, amusements, and sporting goods............. 3.6 5.8 3.2 2.7 3.6 3.7 Nondurable goods(1)................................ 5.1 4.9 4.7 5.4 4.9 5.1 Food and kindred products........................ 5.2 4.4 4.2 5.1 5.1 5.0 Textile mill products............................ 7.0 7.0 5.6 5.4 6.7 7.4 Apparel and other finished textile products...... 3.8 3.2 3.8 3.8 3.8 3.3 Paper and allied products........................ 7.6 8.6 7.6 8.4 7.5 6.1 Printing and publishing.......................... 3.2 3.2 3.5 4.3 4.0 4.4 Chemicals and allied products.................... 7.0 7.2 5.7 6.9 5.4 5.8 Petroleum and coal products...................... 6.0 11.7 8.4 10.3 9.4 7.5 Rubber and miscellaneous plastics products....... 5.4 4.4 4.7 4.7 4.6 4.9 Transportation and public utilities.................. 5.8 5.7 5.8 5.2 4.8 4.4 Transportation..................................... 4.6 3.9 4.2 4.1 3.8 3.9 Communications and other public utilities.......... 8.3 8.4 9.9 8.2 8.2 5.2 Wholesale trade...................................... 3.8 3.7 3.4 3.9 4.1 3.9 Retail trade......................................... 1.9 1.8 1.9 1.9 1.8 2.0 Finance, insurance, and real estate.................. 3.2 3.0 3.4 4.1 3.5 3.6 Banking and other finance.......................... 3.3 3.1 3.6 3.9 3.7 3.3 Insurance and real estate.......................... 3.0 2.9 3.2 4.2 3.4 3.9 Services(1).......................................... 2.5 2.5 2.7 3.0 2.9 2.9 Private households................................. 1.8 1.7 1.9 2.3 2.3 2.9 Services, except private households................ 2.5 2.5 2.7 3.0 2.9 2.9 Business services................................ 1.5 1.6 1.8 2.0 1.9 c1.8 Automobile and repair services................... 2.3 2.0 2.2 2.9 2.4 2.7 Personal services, except private households..... 2.0 2.0 2.1 2.3 2.3 2.7 Entertainment and recreation services............ 1.8 1.8 2.3 1.9 1.9 2.3 Hospitals........................................ 3.5 4.6 4.2 5.2 5.2 5.2 Health services, except hospitals................ 2.5 2.4 2.7 2.9 2.9 3.2 Educational services............................. 2.7 3.1 3.5 3.8 3.5 3.3 Social services.................................. 2.2 2.3 2.3 2.8 2.7 2.6 Other professional services...................... 2.9 2.8 3.3 3.5 3.3 c3.2 1 Includes other industries, not shown separately. c = corrected. NOTE: Data for 1996, 1998, and 2000 are not strictly comparable with data for 1991 and earlier years because population controls from the 1990 census, adjusted for the estimated undercount, are used beginning in 1996. Figures for the 1983-91 period are based on population controls from the 1980 census. Also, beginning in 1996, the figures incorporate the effects of the redesign of the Current Population Survey introduced in January 1994. Data exclude the incorporated and unincorporated self-employed. Table 6. Median years of tenure with current employer for employed wage and salary workers by occupation, selected years, 1983-2000 Occupation January January January February February February 1983 1987 1991 1996 1998 2000 Total, 16 years and over............................. 3.5 3.4 3.6 3.8 3.6 3.5 Managerial and professional specialty.................... 4.8 5.0 5.2 5.1 4.8 4.8 Executive, administrative, and managerial.............. 5.3 5.1 5.5 5.5 5.3 5.0 Officials and administrators, public administration(1)................................... 8.4 9.7 10.7 10.4 12.3 12.0 Other executive, administrative, and managerial(1)... 5.3 5.2 5.7 5.6 5.5 5.2 Management-related occupations....................... 4.8 4.2 4.7 4.8 4.1 3.9 Professional specialty................................. 4.5 5.0 4.9 4.8 4.4 4.6 Engineers............................................ 6.3 6.1 6.7 6.6 5.3 4.8 Mathematical and computer scientists................. 3.8 5.0 4.2 4.5 3.3 3.3 Natural scientists................................... 4.7 6.0 5.6 4.4 5.0 5.2 Health diagnosing occupations........................ 2.8 2.5 3.0 3.3 3.2 3.4 Health assessment and treating occupations........... 3.6 4.1 4.2 4.9 4.6 5.3 Teachers, college and university..................... 4.4 7.2 5.5 4.4 4.2 4.7 Teachers, except college and university.............. 6.0 7.0 6.7 5.8 5.9 5.6 Lawyers and judges................................... 3.2 3.3 3.4 4.3 4.3 3.8 Other professional specialty occupations............. 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.9 3.6 3.9 Technical, sales, and administrative support............. 3.1 2.9 3.2 3.4 3.2 3.1 Technicians and related support........................ 3.3 3.8 3.8 4.7 4.3 3.8 Health technologists and technicians................. 3.3 4.4 3.5 4.5 4.5 3.8 Engineering and science technicians.................. 3.9 4.7 4.0 5.5 4.0 4.1 Technicians, except health, engineering, and science. 2.7 2.9 3.9 4.4 4.1 3.4 Sales occupations...................................... 2.3 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.4 2.7 Supervisors and proprietors.......................... 4.4 4.4 4.9 4.8 4.8 4.7 Sales representatives, finance and business services. 2.6 2.4 2.7 3.3 2.7 2.8 Sales representatives, commodities, except retail.... 3.7 3.9 3.4 3.8 4.1 4.3 Sales workers, retail and personal services.......... 1.6 1.4 1.4 1.3 1.2 1.4 Sales-related occupations............................ 1.7 2.4 3.8 1.5 2.4 3.7 Administrative support, including clerical............. 3.5 3.3 3.6 4.0 3.6 3.4 Supervisors.......................................... 7.6 8.9 8.4 9.4 8.2 7.6 Computer equipment operators......................... 3.2 3.0 3.8 4.8 4.1 2.9 Secretaries, stenographers, and typists.............. 3.2 3.0 3.4 4.4 4.1 4.4 Financial records processing......................... 4.0 3.6 4.0 4.2 4.2 4.1 Mail and message distributing........................ 6.1 4.6 5.9 7.3 7.6 9.4 Other administrative support, including clerical..... 3.2 3.0 3.1 3.4 3.1 2.8 Service occupations...................................... 2.2 2.0 2.3 2.4 2.4 2.5 Private household...................................... 1.9 1.9 2.2 2.2 2.3 2.8 Protective service..................................... 4.6 5.0 4.4 5.2 5.4 5.7 Service, except private household and protective....... 2.0 1.8 2.0 2.1 2.1 2.2 Food service......................................... 1.5 1.3 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.5 Health service....................................... 2.6 2.2 2.4 2.8 2.8 3.1 Cleaning and building service........................ 3.0 2.7 3.0 3.0 3.1 3.2 Personal service..................................... 1.9 1.9 2.1 2.2 2.2 2.3 Precision production, craft, and repair.................. 4.8 4.7 4.8 4.9 4.6 4.3 Mechanics and repairers.............................. 5.2 5.8 5.0 5.3 4.9 4.7 Construction trades.................................. 3.2 2.6 3.2 3.5 3.4 3.1 Other precision production, craft, and repair........ 6.0 6.2 6.4 6.3 6.1 5.4 Operators, fabricators, and laborers..................... 3.9 3.4 3.5 3.2 3.2 3.2 Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors.......... 4.8 4.3 4.4 4.1 3.9 4.0 Transportation and material moving occupations......... 4.4 4.1 3.9 3.9 3.8 3.7 Motor vehicle operators.............................. 3.5 3.2 3.2 3.4 3.4 3.5 Other transportation and material moving occupations. 6.8 7.2 6.3 5.4 4.8 4.8 Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers.... 2.1 2.0 2.2 1.9 1.9 2.0 Construction laborers................................ 2.0 1.3 2.4 2.2 1.6 2.6 Other handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers............................................ 2.2 2.2 2.1 1.8 1.9 1.9 Farming, forestry, and fishing........................... 2.3 2.4 2.7 3.7 2.8 3.1 Farm operators and managers............................ 3.9 5.0 4.8 6.2 4.7 3.9 Other farming, forestry, and fishing occupations....... 2.3 2.3 2.6 3.6 2.8 3.1 1 Data for 1983-98 have been corrected. NOTE: Data for 1996, 1998, and 2000 are not strictly comparable with data for 1991 and earlier years because population controls from the 1990 census, adjusted for the estimated undercount, are used beginning in 1996. Figures for the 1983-91 period are based on population controls from the 1980 census. Also, beginning in 1996, the figures incorporate the effects of the redesign of the Current Population Survey introduced in January 1994. Data exclude the incorporated and unincorporated self-employed.