For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Thursday, September 22, 2016 USDL-16-1867
Technical information: (202) 691-6378 * cpsinfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/cps
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 * PressOffice@bls.gov
EMPLOYEE TENURE IN 2016
The median number of years that wage and salary workers had been with their current employer
was 4.2 years in January 2016, down from 4.6 years in January 2014, the U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics reported today.
Information on employee tenure has been obtained from supplemental questions in the Current
Population Survey (CPS) every 2 years since 1996. The CPS is a monthly sample survey of about
60,000 households that provides information on the labor force status of the civilian
noninstitutional population age 16 and over. The questions about employee tenure measure how
long workers had been with their current employer at the time of the survey. A number of factors
can affect median tenure of workers, including changes in the age profile among workers, as well
as changes in the number of hires and separations. For further information about the CPS, see
the Technical Note in this news release.
Demographic Characteristics
In January 2016, median employee tenure (the point at which half of all workers had more tenure
and half had less tenure) for men declined to 4.3 years from 4.7 years in January 2014. For women,
median tenure also declined; it was 4.0 years in January 2016, compared with 4.5 years in January
2014. Among men, 29 percent of wage and salary workers had 10 years or more of tenure with their
current employer in January 2016, slightly higher than the figure of 28 percent for women.
(See tables 1 and 3.)
Median employee tenure was generally higher among older workers than younger ones. For example,
the median tenure of workers ages 55 to 64 (10.1 years) was more than three times that of workers
ages 25 to 34 years (2.8 years). Also, a larger proportion of older workers than younger workers
had 10 years or more of tenure. Among workers ages 60 to 64, 55 percent were employed for at least
10 years with their current employer in January 2016, compared with only 13 percent of those ages
30 to 34. (See tables 1 and 2.)
Among the major race and ethnicity groups, 22 percent of Hispanics had been with their current
employer for 10 years or more in January 2016, compared with 30 percent of Whites and 25 percent
of both Blacks and Asians. (See table 3.) The shorter tenure among Hispanic workers can be
explained, in part, by their relative youth. Forty-four percent of Hispanic workers were between
the ages of 16 and 34; by comparison, the proportions for Whites (36 percent), Blacks (40 percent),
and Asians (36 percent) were smaller.
In January 2016, the share of wage and salary workers with a year or less of tenure with their
current employer was 23 percent, little changed from the proportion in January 2014 (21 percent).
This short-tenured 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 year. Younger workers were more likely than older workers to be short-tenured employees. For
example, in January 2016, 74 percent of 16- to 19-year-olds had tenure of 12 months or less with
their current employer, compared with 10 percent of workers ages 55 to 64. (See table 3.)
Among workers age 25 and over, men and women with less than a high school diploma had lower
median tenure in January 2016 than those with more education. The median tenure for men and
women with less than a high school diploma was 4.8 years and 4.4 years, respectively. Men and
women with at least a college degree had median tenure of 5.2 years and 5.1 years, respectively.
(See table 4.)
Industry
In January 2016, wage and salary workers in the public sector had more than double the median
tenure of private-sector employees, 7.7 years and 3.7 years, respectively. One factor behind
this difference is age. About 3 in 4 government workers were age 35 and over, compared with
about 3 in 5 private wage and salary workers. Federal employees had a higher median tenure
(8.8 years) than state (5.8 years) or local government (8.3 years) employees. (See table 5.)
Within the private sector, workers in manufacturing had the highest tenure among major
industries, at 5.3 years in January 2016. In contrast, workers in leisure and hospitality
had the lowest median tenure (2.2 years). These differences in tenure reflect many factors,
one of which is varying age distributions across industries; on average, workers in
manufacturing tend to be older than those in leisure and hospitality.
Occupation
Among the major occupations, workers in management, professional, and related occupations had the
highest median tenure (5.1 years) in January 2016. Within this group, employees with jobs in
management occupations (6.3 years), architecture and engineering occupations (5.5 years), and
legal occupations (5.5 years) had the longest tenure. Workers in service occupations, who are
generally younger than persons employed in management, professional, and related occupations,
had the lowest median tenure (2.9 years). Among employees working in service occupations, food
service workers had the lowest median tenure, at 1.9 years. (See table 6.)
Technical Note
The data in this release were collected through a supplement to the January 2016
Current Population Survey (CPS). The CPS, which is conducted by the U.S. Census
Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), is a monthly survey of about
60,000 eligible households that provides information on the labor force status,
demographics, and other characteristics of the nation's civilian noninstitutional
population age 16 and over.
The January 2016 CPS supplement, which was sponsored by the U.S. Department of
Labor, obtained information on worker displacement and workers' tenure with their
current employer. The data on worker displacement are online at
www.bls.gov/cps/lfcharacteristics.htm#displaced.
Updated population controls for the CPS are introduced annually with the release
of the January data. Additional information about population controls is available
on the BLS website at www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#pop.
Information in this release will be made available to sensory-impaired individuals
upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200, Federal Relay Service: (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 component of this difference that occurs because sample differ by chance is
known as sampling error, and its 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.
A full discussion of the reliability of data from the CPS and information on estimating
standard errors is available at www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#reliability.
Tenure concepts and questions
Employee tenure is a measure of how long wage and salary workers had been with their
current employer at the time of the survey. Many of the estimates shown in this report
are medians; the median is the point at which half of all workers had more tenure and
half had less tenure. Data refer to the sole or principal job of full- and part-time
workers.
Wage and salary workers receive wages, salaries, commissions, tips, payment in kind,
or piece rates. The group includes employees in both the private and public sectors
but excludes all self-employed persons, both those with incorporated businesses and
those with unincorporated businesses.
In the CPS supplement, questions on tenure were asked of all employed persons. The
main 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 was asked: "Could you
please give the exact number of months?"
The purpose of the follow-up question is to obtain more precise information on
workers who had been with their current employer for 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. Currently, the
2-year category includes 24 to 29 months and the 3-year category includes 2.5 to
3.5 years.
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.
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 if 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 if 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.
A changing age distribution among workers would also affect median tenure. Since older
workers are more likely to have long tenure with their current employer than younger
workers, aging baby boomers in the workforce would provide upward pressure on overall
median tenure.
Table 1. Median years of tenure with current employer for employed wage and salary
workers by age and sex, selected years, 2006-16
Age and sex January January January January January January
2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016
TOTAL
16 years and over....... 4.0 4.1 4.4 4.6 4.6 4.2
16 to 17 years................ .6 .7 .7 .7 .7 .6
18 to 19 years................ .7 .8 1.0 .8 .8 .8
20 to 24 years................ 1.3 1.3 1.5 1.3 1.3 1.3
25 years and over............. 4.9 5.1 5.2 5.4 5.5 5.1
25 to 34 years.............. 2.9 2.7 3.1 3.2 3.0 2.8
35 to 44 years.............. 4.9 4.9 5.1 5.3 5.2 4.9
45 to 54 years.............. 7.3 7.6 7.8 7.8 7.9 7.9
55 to 64 years.............. 9.3 9.9 10.0 10.3 10.4 10.1
65 years and over........... 8.8 10.2 9.9 10.3 10.3 10.3
Men
16 years and over....... 4.1 4.2 4.6 4.7 4.7 4.3
16 to 17 years................ .7 .7 .7 .6 .7 .6
18 to 19 years................ .7 .8 1.0 .8 .9 .8
20 to 24 years................ 1.4 1.4 1.6 1.4 1.4 1.3
25 years and over............. 5.0 5.2 5.3 5.5 5.5 5.2
25 to 34 years.............. 2.9 2.8 3.2 3.2 3.1 2.9
35 to 44 years.............. 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.4 5.0
45 to 54 years.............. 8.1 8.2 8.5 8.5 8.2 8.4
55 to 64 years.............. 9.5 10.1 10.4 10.7 10.7 10.2
65 years and over........... 8.3 10.4 9.7 10.2 10.0 10.2
Women
16 years and over....... 3.9 3.9 4.2 4.6 4.5 4.0
16 to 17 years................ .6 .6 .7 .7 .7 .6
18 to 19 years................ .7 .8 1.0 .8 .8 .8
20 to 24 years................ 1.2 1.3 1.5 1.3 1.3 1.2
25 years and over............. 4.8 4.9 5.1 5.4 5.4 5.0
25 to 34 years.............. 2.8 2.6 3.0 3.1 2.9 2.6
35 to 44 years.............. 4.6 4.7 4.9 5.2 5.1 4.8
45 to 54 years.............. 6.7 7.0 7.1 7.3 7.6 7.5
55 to 64 years.............. 9.2 9.8 9.7 10.0 10.2 10.0
65 years and over........... 9.5 9.9 10.1 10.5 10.5 10.4
NOTE: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of
January data.
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, 2006-16
Age and sex January January January January January January
2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016
TOTAL
25 years and over....... 30.0 31.5 33.1 33.7 33.3 33.2
25 to 29 years................ 2.4 2.3 2.3 2.5 2.5 2.6
30 to 34 years................ 10.6 10.1 12.8 12.5 12.3 12.5
35 to 39 years................ 22.8 23.0 25.7 25.2 24.4 24.4
40 to 44 years................ 31.8 32.9 35.3 35.1 33.1 34.3
45 to 49 years................ 39.9 40.2 40.8 41.6 41.6 41.8
50 to 54 years................ 46.6 47.7 48.9 48.4 48.1 48.0
55 to 59 years................ 50.1 52.4 52.4 54.1 53.3 53.0
60 to 64 years................ 48.4 53.6 54.5 55.1 58.0 54.7
65 years and over............. 48.5 56.3 53.1 55.5 55.0 55.3
Men
25 years and over....... 31.1 32.9 34.3 34.6 34.0 33.8
25 to 29 years................ 2.6 2.4 3.1 2.6 2.9 3.4
30 to 34 years................ 11.6 11.3 14.3 13.2 13.3 13.2
35 to 39 years................ 24.7 25.4 27.2 25.7 25.9 25.1
40 to 44 years................ 34.8 35.8 37.5 36.9 34.5 34.8
45 to 49 years................ 42.9 43.5 43.7 44.8 43.8 44.4
50 to 54 years................ 49.7 50.4 51.3 51.4 49.9 50.4
55 to 59 years................ 51.0 54.9 53.6 55.7 53.8 53.4
60 to 64 years................ 48.1 52.4 56.8 56.2 59.1 55.5
65 years and over............. 47.2 58.9 51.9 55.5 53.1 54.6
Women
25 years and over....... 28.8 30.0 31.9 32.8 32.6 32.6
25 to 29 years................ 2.1 2.1 1.6 2.3 2.1 1.7
30 to 34 years................ 9.4 8.7 11.1 11.8 11.1 11.7
35 to 39 years................ 20.5 20.3 24.0 24.7 22.7 23.7
40 to 44 years................ 28.4 29.9 32.9 33.2 31.5 33.8
45 to 49 years................ 36.9 36.7 38.0 38.3 39.4 39.1
50 to 54 years................ 43.6 45.0 46.5 45.5 46.3 45.6
55 to 59 years................ 49.1 50.0 51.2 52.6 52.8 52.6
60 to 64 years................ 48.7 54.8 52.2 54.0 56.9 53.9
65 years and over............. 49.9 53.8 54.3 55.6 56.9 55.9
NOTE: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January
data.
Table 3. Distribution of employed wage and salary workers by tenure with current employer, age, sex, race, and
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, January 2016
Percent distribution by tenure with current employer
Age, sex, race, and Number
Hispanic or Latino employed
ethnicity (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.. 134,167 100.0 22.6 7.0 5.5 17.1 19.0 11.5 7.1 10.3
16 to 19 years........... 4,432 100.0 73.7 11.7 7.5 7.0 .1 - - -
20 years and over........ 129,735 100.0 20.9 6.9 5.4 17.4 19.6 11.9 7.3 10.6
20 to 24 years......... 13,396 100.0 50.8 14.2 10.8 19.1 5.0 .1 - -
25 to 34 years......... 31,304 100.0 28.9 9.4 7.8 24.9 21.7 6.7 .7 -
35 to 44 years......... 28,272 100.0 17.1 6.1 4.8 18.4 24.4 16.5 9.4 3.4
45 to 54 years......... 28,737 100.0 12.4 5.0 3.4 13.7 20.6 15.7 11.9 17.3
55 to 64 years......... 21,601 100.0 10.2 3.5 2.9 11.7 18.1 14.4 11.3 28.0
65 years and over...... 6,425 100.0 9.9 2.9 2.3 9.8 19.9 15.6 11.6 28.1
Men
16 years and over.. 69,068 100.0 22.0 7.0 5.3 17.0 19.3 11.4 7.0 11.0
16 to 19 years........... 2,113 100.0 72.7 13.3 6.4 7.6 .1 - - -
20 years and over........ 66,955 100.0 20.4 6.8 5.3 17.3 19.9 11.7 7.3 11.4
20 to 24 years......... 6,754 100.0 49.7 14.1 11.8 18.4 5.9 .1 - -
25 to 34 years......... 16,665 100.0 27.5 9.1 7.6 24.9 22.7 7.3 .9 -
35 to 44 years......... 14,922 100.0 17.1 5.8 4.5 18.1 24.8 16.3 9.6 3.8
45 to 54 years......... 14,626 100.0 11.7 5.1 3.2 13.0 19.6 15.4 12.5 19.4
55 to 64 years......... 10,809 100.0 10.6 3.5 2.7 11.7 17.4 13.7 10.1 30.3
65 years and over...... 3,179 100.0 9.3 2.7 2.0 9.1 22.3 14.2 11.0 29.4
Women
16 years and over.. 65,099 100.0 23.3 7.1 5.6 17.2 18.6 11.6 7.1 9.5
16 to 19 years........... 2,319 100.0 74.6 10.3 8.6 6.4 .1 - - -
20 years and over........ 62,780 100.0 21.4 7.0 5.4 17.6 19.3 12.0 7.3 9.8
20 to 24 years......... 6,642 100.0 52.0 14.3 9.7 19.7 4.2 .1 - -
25 to 34 years......... 14,640 100.0 30.4 9.8 7.9 24.8 20.5 6.0 .6 -
35 to 44 years......... 13,350 100.0 17.2 6.4 5.0 18.8 23.9 16.6 9.1 3.0
45 to 54 years......... 14,111 100.0 13.0 4.8 3.7 14.5 21.6 16.1 11.2 15.1
55 to 64 years......... 10,791 100.0 9.8 3.5 3.1 11.7 18.8 15.1 12.4 25.6
65 years and over...... 3,246 100.0 10.5 3.0 2.7 10.4 17.5 17.0 12.1 26.8
White
16 years and over.... 105,057 100.0 21.7 7.0 5.2 16.9 19.0 11.7 7.4 11.1
Men...................... 54,917 100.0 21.1 6.9 5.2 16.4 19.6 11.5 7.4 12.0
Women.................... 50,140 100.0 22.4 7.2 5.3 17.4 18.4 12.0 7.4 10.0
Black or African American
16 years and over.... 16,509 100.0 25.8 6.7 6.5 17.8 18.3 10.3 6.4 8.2
Men...................... 7,522 100.0 26.8 6.7 6.0 18.3 17.2 10.2 6.6 8.2
Women.................... 8,987 100.0 25.0 6.8 6.8 17.4 19.3 10.4 6.2 8.2
Asian
16 years and over.... 7,843 100.0 21.4 7.5 6.4 18.1 21.5 12.4 5.7 7.0
Men...................... 4,170 100.0 18.9 8.3 6.7 19.2 21.2 13.5 5.5 6.9
Women.................... 3,673 100.0 24.3 6.7 6.1 16.8 21.8 11.2 5.9 7.2
Hispanic or Latino
ethnicity
16 years and over.... 22,637 100.0 25.1 6.4 7.8 19.2 19.6 11.0 5.3 5.6
Men...................... 12,709 100.0 24.5 6.1 7.2 19.1 20.8 11.4 5.2 5.7
Women.................... 9,928 100.0 25.9 6.9 8.6 19.4 18.1 10.5 5.3 5.3
- Less than 0.05 percent.
NOTE: Detail for the above race groups (White, Black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals
because data are not presented for all races. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be
of any race. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Dash represents zero or rounds to zero. Updated
population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.
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, January 2016
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.......................... 5.1 2.8 4.9 7.9 10.1 10.3
Less than a high school diploma.... 4.7 2.8 4.3 5.3 8.3 10.2
High school graduates, no college.. 5.2 2.8 4.7 7.8 10.1 10.4
Some college, no degree............ 5.0 2.7 5.0 8.0 9.9 9.8
Associate degree................... 5.2 2.8 4.6 7.7 10.2 10.6
College graduates.................. 5.2 2.8 5.2 8.3 10.4 10.6
Bachelor's degree................ 4.9 2.7 5.1 8.2 10.0 10.2
Master's degree.................. 5.9 3.0 5.6 8.5 11.6 10.3
Doctoral or professional degree.. 5.6 2.4 5.2 9.4 12.8 15.0
Men............................ 5.2 2.9 5.0 8.4 10.2 10.2
Less than a high school diploma.... 4.8 3.1 4.4 5.7 9.1 10.4
High school graduates, no college.. 5.2 2.9 4.8 8.9 10.1 10.1
Some college, no degree............ 5.1 2.9 5.3 8.5 10.2 9.8
Associate degree................... 5.6 3.3 5.7 8.7 10.2 10.9
College graduates.................. 5.2 2.7 5.1 8.7 10.8 10.7
Bachelor's degree................ 5.0 2.8 5.2 9.2 10.2 10.4
Master's degree.................. 5.6 2.9 5.1 7.9 12.2 9.6
Doctoral or professional degree.. 6.0 2.3 4.8 9.3 14.2 18.0
Women.......................... 5.0 2.6 4.8 7.5 10.0 10.4
Less than a high school diploma.... 4.4 2.4 4.1 4.6 7.6 10.0
High school graduates, no college.. 5.3 2.6 4.6 6.5 10.1 11.0
Some college, no degree............ 4.9 2.5 4.7 7.5 9.6 9.8
Associate degree................... 4.8 2.4 4.0 7.3 10.3 10.6
College graduates.................. 5.1 2.8 5.3 8.1 10.2 10.5
Bachelor's degree................ 4.8 2.7 5.0 7.5 9.8 10.1
Master's degree.................. 6.1 3.0 6.2 9.2 11.3 11.7
Doctoral or professional degree.. 5.2 2.5 5.6 9.5 12.0 10.3
NOTE: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.
Table 5. Median years of tenure with current employer for employed wage and salary workers by industry, selected years, 2006-16
Industry January January January January January January
2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016
Total, 16 years and over............................................ 4.0 4.1 4.4 4.6 4.6 4.2
Private sector........................................................ 3.6 3.6 4.0 4.2 4.1 3.7
Agriculture and related industries.................................. 3.8 4.3 4.8 4.1 3.6 4.5
Nonagricultural industries.......................................... 3.6 3.6 4.0 4.2 4.1 3.7
Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction..................... 3.8 4.1 4.8 3.5 4.0 4.6
Construction...................................................... 3.0 3.5 4.2 4.3 3.9 4.0
Manufacturing..................................................... 5.5 5.9 6.1 6.0 5.9 5.3
Durable goods manufacturing..................................... 5.6 6.1 6.6 6.1 6.0 5.4
Nonmetallic mineral products.................................. 5.0 4.8 7.7 7.0 7.6 5.1
Primary metals and fabricated metal products.................. 6.2 5.2 7.2 5.6 6.1 6.0
Machinery manufacturing....................................... 6.6 6.0 8.3 5.4 6.2 5.5
Computers and electronic products............................. 5.9 6.7 5.9 7.7 5.1 5.3
Electrical equipment and appliances........................... 6.2 6.2 5.0 5.9 5.8 4.7
Transportation equipment...................................... 7.2 7.8 8.3 7.1 7.1 6.1
Wood products................................................. 4.7 6.2 4.7 5.3 4.6 4.7
Furniture and related product manufacturing................... 4.2 5.2 5.0 6.5 5.9 4.8
Miscellaneous manufacturing................................... 3.9 4.7 5.4 4.8 5.1 5.0
Nondurable goods manufacturing.................................. 5.4 5.4 5.5 5.8 5.9 5.1
Food manufacturing............................................ 5.2 4.3 4.7 4.9 4.7 4.5
Beverage and tobacco products................................. 5.4 6.9 8.1 6.4 4.8 4.3
Textiles, apparel, and leather................................ 4.4 4.6 4.7 4.3 5.3 5.6
Paper and printing............................................ 6.3 5.5 6.8 9.7 9.7 5.3
Petroleum and coal products................................... 5.0 4.3 5.1 6.4 6.1 6.6
Chemicals..................................................... 6.1 7.6 7.3 6.1 7.1 5.3
Plastics and rubber products.................................. 5.0 5.3 7.4 6.1 6.5 5.3
Wholesale and retail trade........................................ 3.1 3.2 3.6 3.7 3.6 3.3
Wholesale trade................................................. 4.6 5.0 5.2 5.5 5.8 5.2
Retail trade.................................................... 2.8 2.9 3.3 3.3 3.3 3.0
Transportation and utilities...................................... 4.9 5.1 5.3 5.6 5.1 4.6
Transportation and warehousing.................................. 4.3 4.6 5.0 5.3 4.7 4.4
Utilities....................................................... 10.4 10.1 9.1 9.5 9.2 7.4
Information (1)................................................... 4.8 4.7 5.0 5.4 4.8 4.3
Publishing, except Internet..................................... 5.3 4.7 5.6 6.6 5.3 5.7
Motion pictures and sound recording industries.................. 1.9 1.9 3.8 2.6 2.4 2.4
Radio and television broadcasting and cable
subscriptions programming (2)...................................... 4.6 3.4 4.3 4.9 4.1 3.6
Telecommunications (2).......................................... 5.3 6.9 6.6 7.4 7.8 6.0
Financial activities.............................................. 4.0 4.5 4.6 4.9 5.0 4.8
Finance and insurance........................................... 4.1 4.7 4.8 5.0 5.3 5.0
Finance....................................................... 3.9 4.4 4.5 4.7 5.0 5.0
Insurance..................................................... 4.7 5.2 5.5 5.7 6.0 5.2
Real estate and rental and leasing.............................. 3.4 3.7 3.9 4.5 4.4 3.8
Real estate................................................... 3.5 3.9 4.1 4.5 4.6 3.9
Rental and leasing services................................... 3.1 3.0 3.3 4.2 3.5 3.4
Professional and business services................................ 3.2 3.1 3.4 3.8 3.6 3.4
Professional and technical services............................. 3.8 3.3 4.0 4.4 4.2 3.9
Management, administrative, and waste services (1).............. 2.5 2.5 2.9 3.1 3.1 2.8
Administrative and support services........................... 2.4 2.4 2.8 3.0 3.0 2.6
Waste management and remediation services..................... 4.1 4.1 2.9 4.4 4.7 4.6
Education and health services..................................... 4.0 4.1 4.1 4.4 4.5 3.9
Educational services............................................ 4.0 4.3 4.4 4.3 4.8 4.0
Health care and social assistance............................... 4.1 4.1 4.1 4.4 4.4 3.9
Hospitals..................................................... 5.2 5.4 5.3 6.0 5.7 5.6
Health services, except hospitals............................. 3.6 3.6 3.6 3.8 3.9 3.4
Social assistance............................................. 3.1 3.0 3.1 3.1 3.2 2.6
Leisure and hospitality........................................... 1.9 2.1 2.5 2.4 2.3 2.2
Arts, entertainment, and recreation............................. 3.1 2.8 3.3 3.1 3.0 3.2
Accommodation and food services................................. 1.6 1.9 2.3 2.3 2.1 2.0
Accommodation................................................. 2.5 3.1 3.3 3.8 3.5 3.0
Food services and drinking places............................. 1.4 1.6 2.2 2.1 2.0 1.8
Other services.................................................... 3.2 3.3 4.0 3.8 4.0 3.9
Other services, except private households....................... 3.3 3.4 4.1 3.8 4.2 4.1
Repair and maintenance........................................ 2.9 3.0 4.0 3.7 4.0 3.5
Personal and laundry services................................. 2.8 3.2 3.5 3.5 3.7 3.8
Membership associations and organizations..................... 4.2 4.4 4.5 4.3 4.9 4.9
Other services, private households.............................. 2.8 2.8 3.4 3.3 3.0 3.3
Public sector......................................................... 6.9 7.2 7.2 7.8 7.8 7.7
Federal government.................................................. 9.9 9.9 7.9 9.5 8.5 8.8
State government.................................................... 6.3 6.5 6.4 6.4 7.4 5.8
Local government.................................................... 6.6 7.1 7.5 8.1 7.9 8.3
1 Includes other industries, not shown separately.
2 Data for these industries are not directly comparable over time due to industry classification changes in 2003 and 2009.
NOTE: Beginning with data for January 2009, industries reflect the introduction of the 2007 census industry classification
system into the Current Population Survey. This industry classification system is derived from the 2007 North American Industry
Classification System. No historical data have been revised. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release
of January data.
Table 6. Median years of tenure with current employer for employed wage and salary workers by occupation, selected years,
2006-16
Occupation January January January January January January
2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016
Total, 16 years and over.......................................... 4.0 4.1 4.4 4.6 4.6 4.2
Management, professional and related occupations..................... 5.2 5.1 5.2 5.5 5.7 5.1
Management, business, and financial operations occupations........ 5.5 5.4 5.4 5.9 6.3 5.5
Management occupations........................................ 6.0 6.0 6.1 6.3 6.9 6.3
Business and financial operations occupations................. 4.7 4.6 4.6 5.2 5.0 4.6
Professional and related occupations.............................. 5.0 4.9 5.0 5.4 5.3 4.9
Computer and mathematical occupations......................... 4.8 4.5 4.8 4.8 5.0 4.4
Architecture and engineering occupations...................... 6.5 6.4 5.7 7.0 6.4 5.5
Life, physical, and social science occupations................ 4.7 4.0 4.6 5.3 5.0 4.9
Community and social service occupations...................... 4.7 4.8 4.6 5.0 5.1 4.3
Legal occupations............................................. 5.0 4.3 4.6 5.4 5.4 5.5
Education, training, and library occupations.................. 5.3 5.4 5.6 5.9 6.2 5.3
Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations.... 3.6 3.4 3.9 4.2 3.4 3.8
Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations............ 4.8 4.9 4.8 5.2 5.2 4.8
Service occupations................................................... 2.8 2.8 3.1 3.2 3.3 2.9
Healthcare support occupations................................ 3.1 3.1 3.3 3.3 3.5 3.1
Protective service occupations................................ 5.5 5.9 5.0 6.4 6.5 6.2
Food preparation and serving related occupations.............. 1.8 2.0 2.3 2.3 2.2 1.9
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations..... 3.7 3.6 4.1 4.0 4.3 3.8
Personal care and service occupations......................... 2.4 2.6 2.9 3.0 2.9 2.9
Sales and office occupations.......................................... 3.4 3.5 4.1 4.2 4.0 3.5
Sales and related occupations..................................... 2.8 2.9 3.4 3.4 3.4 3.1
Office and administrative support occupations..................... 4.1 4.2 4.7 4.8 4.6 4.0
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations.......... 3.5 4.0 4.7 4.7 4.4 4.5
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations........................ 3.6 3.1 4.2 3.9 3.2 4.1
Construction and extraction occupations........................... 3.0 3.5 4.1 4.3 3.7 4.2
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations................. 4.6 5.0 5.7 5.3 5.4 5.2
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations........... 4.0 4.5 4.6 4.8 4.5 4.3
Production occupations............................................ 4.8 5.0 5.3 5.3 5.2 4.7
Transportation and material moving occupations.................... 3.3 3.8 4.0 4.3 3.8 3.9
NOTE: Effective with January 2011 data, occupations reflect the introduction of the 2010 Census occupational
classification system into the Current Population Survey, or household survey. This classification system is derived from
the 2010 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC). No historical data have been revised. Data for 2011 and later years are
not strictly comparable with earlier years. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January
data.
United States Department of Labor
