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Economic News Release
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Employee Tenure News Release

For release 10:00 a.m. (ET) Tuesday, September 22, 2020 	   USDL-20-1791

Technical information:	cpsinfo@bls.gov  *  www.bls.gov/cps
Media contact:	        (202) 691-5902  *  PressOffice@bls.gov


                        EMPLOYEE TENURE IN 2020


The median number of years that wage and salary workers had been with
their current employer was 4.1 years in January 2020, little changed
from 4.2 years in January 2018, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
reported today.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Chief Evaluation Office sponsored the
January 2020 survey to collect information on employee tenure. Since
1996, these surveys have been conducted biennially in January as a
supplement to the Current Population Survey (CPS). 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 2020, median employee tenure (the point at which half of
all workers had more tenure and half had less tenure) for men was 4.3
years, unchanged from the median in January 2018. For women, median 
tenure was 3.9 years in January 2020, little different from the median
of 4.0 years in January 2018. Among men, 29 percent of wage and salary
workers had 10 years or more of tenure with their current employer in
January 2020, higher than the figure of 27 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 (9.9 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. For example, among
workers ages 60 to 64, 54 percent had been employed for at least 10
years with their current employer in January 2020, compared with 10
percent of those ages 30 to 34. (See tables 1 and 2.)

Among the major race and ethnicity groups, 29 percent of Whites had
been with their current employer for 10 years or more in January 2020,
compared with 22 percent of Hispanics, 23 percent of Blacks, and 26 
percent of Asians. (See table 3.) The longer tenure among Whites can
be explained, in part, by the fact that they tend to be older. Twenty-
three percent of White wage and salary workers were age 55 and over;
by comparison, the proportions for Blacks (19 percent), Asians (19
percent), and Hispanics (15 percent) were smaller.

In January 2020, the share of wage and salary workers with a year or
less of tenure with their current employer was 22 percent, unchanged
from the proportion in January 2018. This short-tenured group includes
new hires, 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 2020, 75 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 2020 than those with
more education. The median tenure for men and women with less than a
high school diploma was 4.8 years and 4.1 years, respectively. College
graduates had median tenure of 5.2 years and 4.9 years, respectively.
(See table 4.)

Industry

In January 2020, wage and salary workers in the public sector had a
median tenure of 6.5 years, nearly twice the median of 3.7 years for
private-sector employees. 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 (8.2 years) than state (5.6 years) or local
government (6.6 years) employees. (See table 5.)

Within the private sector, workers in manufacturing had the highest
tenure among major industries at 5.1 years in January 2020. In
contrast, workers in leisure and hospitality had the lowest median
tenure (2.3 years). These differences in tenure reflect many factors,
one of which is varying age distributions across the industries;
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 (4.9 years)
in January 2020. Within this group, employees with jobs in management
occupations (5.8 years), legal occupations (5.8 years), architecture
and engineering occupations (5.1 years), and educational, training,
and library occupations (5.0 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 2020
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 2020 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 
https://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 https://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 https://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, 2010-2020
Age and sex January
2010
January
2012
January
2014
January
2016
January
2018
January
2020

Total

16 years and over

4.4 4.6 4.6 4.2 4.2 4.1

16 to 17 years

0.7 0.7 0.7 0.6 0.6 0.7

18 to 19 years

1.0 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8

20 to 24 years

1.5 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.3

25 years and over

5.2 5.4 5.5 5.1 5.0 4.9

25 to 34 years

3.1 3.2 3.0 2.8 2.8 2.8

35 to 44 years

5.1 5.3 5.2 4.9 4.9 4.9

45 to 54 years

7.8 7.8 7.9 7.9 7.6 7.5

55 to 64 years

10.0 10.3 10.4 10.1 10.1 9.9

65 years and over

9.9 10.3 10.3 10.3 10.2 10.3

Men

16 years and over

4.6 4.7 4.7 4.3 4.3 4.3

16 to 17 years

0.7 0.6 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.7

18 to 19 years

1.0 0.8 0.9 0.8 0.8 0.8

20 to 24 years

1.6 1.4 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.4

25 years and over

5.3 5.5 5.5 5.2 5.1 5.1

25 to 34 years

3.2 3.2 3.1 2.9 2.9 2.9

35 to 44 years

5.3 5.4 5.4 5.0 5.0 5.1

45 to 54 years

8.5 8.5 8.2 8.4 8.1 8.2

55 to 64 years

10.4 10.7 10.7 10.2 10.2 10.0

65 years and over

9.7 10.2 10.0 10.2 10.2 10.3

Women

16 years and over

4.2 4.6 4.5 4.0 4.0 3.9

16 to 17 years

0.7 0.7 0.7 0.6 0.7 0.7

18 to 19 years

1.0 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8

20 to 24 years

1.5 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.2

25 years and over

5.1 5.4 5.4 5.0 4.9 4.8

25 to 34 years

3.0 3.1 2.9 2.6 2.7 2.7

35 to 44 years

4.9 5.2 5.1 4.8 4.7 4.6

45 to 54 years

7.1 7.3 7.6 7.5 7.1 6.8

55 to 64 years

9.7 10.0 10.2 10.0 10.1 9.8

65 years and over

10.1 10.5 10.5 10.4 10.1 10.4

NOTE: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data. Dash indicates no data or data that do not meet publication criteria (values not shown where base is less than 75,000).


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, 2010-2020
Age and sex January
2010
January
2012
January
2014
January
2016
January
2018
January
2020

Total

25 years and over

33.1 33.7 33.3 33.2 33.2 32.2

25 to 29 years

2.3 2.5 2.5 2.6 2.1 1.6

30 to 34 years

12.8 12.5 12.3 12.5 12.1 9.9

35 to 39 years

25.7 25.2 24.4 24.4 25.7 24.7

40 to 44 years

35.3 35.1 33.1 34.3 34.4 33.8

45 to 49 years

40.8 41.6 41.6 41.8 42.8 42.3

50 to 54 years

48.9 48.4 48.1 48.0 47.1 47.3

55 to 59 years

52.4 54.1 53.3 53.0 52.5 51.0

60 to 64 years

54.5 55.1 58.0 54.7 56.5 54.0

65 years and over

53.1 55.5 55.0 55.3 54.4 55.4

Men

25 years and over

34.3 34.6 34.0 33.8 33.8 33.1

25 to 29 years

3.1 2.6 2.9 3.4 2.4 2.0

30 to 34 years

14.3 13.2 13.3 13.2 13.0 10.7

35 to 39 years

27.2 25.7 25.9 25.1 26.5 26.1

40 to 44 years

37.5 36.9 34.5 34.8 36.9 36.0

45 to 49 years

43.7 44.8 43.8 44.4 45.1 44.7

50 to 54 years

51.3 51.4 49.9 50.4 48.7 48.9

55 to 59 years

53.6 55.7 53.8 53.4 53.2 51.2

60 to 64 years

56.8 56.2 59.1 55.5 54.7 55.4

65 years and over

51.9 55.5 53.1 54.6 55.4 54.7

Women

25 years and over

31.9 32.8 32.6 32.6 32.5 31.2

25 to 29 years

1.6 2.3 2.1 1.7 1.8 1.3

30 to 34 years

11.1 11.8 11.1 11.7 11.0 8.9

35 to 39 years

24.0 24.7 22.7 23.7 24.8 23.1

40 to 44 years

32.9 33.2 31.5 33.8 31.7 31.6

45 to 49 years

38.0 38.3 39.4 39.1 40.4 39.8

50 to 54 years

46.5 45.5 46.3 45.6 45.5 45.7

55 to 59 years

51.2 52.6 52.8 52.6 51.7 50.8

60 to 64 years

52.2 54.0 56.9 53.9 58.2 52.6

65 years and over

54.3 55.6 56.9 55.9 53.4 56.2

NOTE: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data. Dash indicates no data or data that do not meet publication criteria (values not shown where base is less than 75,000).


Table 3. Distribution of employed wage and salary workers by tenure with current employer, age, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, January 2020
Age, sex, race, and
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity
Number employed
(in thousands)
Percent distribution by tenure with current employer
Total 12 months
or less
13 to 23
months
2 years 3 to 4
years
5 to 9
years
10 to 14
years
15 to 19
years
20 years
or more

Total

16 years and over

141,374 100.0 22.2 7.0 5.7 17.8 19.3 10.6 6.6 10.8

16 to 19 years

4,792 100.0 74.9 11.3 7.7 5.8 0.3 - - -

20 years and over

136,581 100.0 20.4 6.8 5.6 18.3 19.9 11.0 6.8 11.2

20 to 24 years

13,514 100.0 50.8 13.5 10.8 20.2 4.6 - - -

25 to 34 years

34,141 100.0 27.6 9.5 7.9 26.4 23.0 5.0 0.7 -

35 to 44 years

30,001 100.0 16.9 5.9 4.9 18.6 24.7 16.2 8.8 4.0

45 to 54 years

27,932 100.0 12.7 4.6 3.5 13.6 20.7 14.8 11.4 18.6

55 to 64 years

23,027 100.0 9.7 4.0 3.3 12.7 18.1 13.5 10.6 28.2

65 years and over

7,966 100.0 9.0 3.5 3.6 11.2 17.4 14.8 10.6 30.0

Men

16 years and over

72,676 100.0 21.2 6.6 5.6 18.0 19.7 10.6 6.7 11.7

16 to 19 years

2,310 100.0 73.8 11.2 7.6 7.3 - - - -

20 years and over

70,366 100.0 19.5 6.4 5.6 18.3 20.3 11.0 6.9 12.1

20 to 24 years

6,870 100.0 48.5 13.6 11.3 21.8 4.8 0.1 - -

25 to 34 years

17,795 100.0 25.9 9.0 7.8 27.0 23.9 5.5 0.8 -

35 to 44 years

15,649 100.0 15.9 5.3 5.0 17.7 25.4 16.6 9.3 4.8

45 to 54 years

14,321 100.0 12.0 4.3 3.5 13.1 20.3 14.6 11.3 20.8

55 to 64 years

11,646 100.0 9.8 3.9 2.9 12.4 18.1 12.4 10.4 30.2

65 years and over

4,085 100.0 9.7 3.0 3.1 11.9 17.6 14.2 10.1 30.4

Women

16 years and over

68,697 100.0 23.3 7.4 5.7 17.7 18.8 10.6 6.6 9.9

16 to 19 years

2,482 100.0 76.0 11.5 7.7 4.3 0.5 - - -

20 years and over

66,215 100.0 21.4 7.2 5.6 18.2 19.5 11.0 6.8 10.3

20 to 24 years

6,644 100.0 53.2 13.5 10.3 18.6 4.4 - - -

25 to 34 years

16,346 100.0 29.4 10.1 8.0 25.7 21.9 4.4 0.5 -

35 to 44 years

14,352 100.0 17.9 6.7 4.7 19.5 24.0 15.7 8.4 3.1

45 to 54 years

13,612 100.0 13.5 4.9 3.5 14.1 21.2 15.0 11.5 16.4

55 to 64 years

11,381 100.0 9.5 4.1 3.7 13.0 18.2 14.7 10.7 26.1

65 years and over

3,881 100.0 8.2 4.0 4.1 10.4 17.2 15.4 11.2 29.6

White

16 years and over

109,188 100.0 21.5 7.0 5.4 17.3 19.5 10.7 6.8 11.7

Men

56,942 100.0 20.6 6.5 5.4 17.3 19.9 10.6 7.0 12.8

Women

52,247 100.0 22.6 7.5 5.4 17.4 19.1 10.8 6.7 10.5

Black or African American

16 years and over

17,353 100.0 25.8 6.4 6.4 20.1 17.9 9.2 5.6 8.5

Men

8,039 100.0 25.3 6.5 6.4 21.5 17.3 9.3 5.3 8.4

Women

9,315 100.0 26.3 6.4 6.4 18.9 18.4 9.1 5.9 8.6

Asian

16 years and over

9,321 100.0 19.5 7.4 6.8 19.4 20.8 12.1 7.0 7.0

Men

4,886 100.0 18.5 7.6 5.8 19.9 22.1 12.3 7.0 6.9

Women

4,435 100.0 20.7 7.2 8.0 18.7 19.5 12.0 7.0 7.0

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

16 years and over

25,806 100.0 25.5 6.2 6.8 20.0 19.3 9.8 5.4 7.0

Men

14,242 100.0 24.6 5.1 6.7 19.6 20.6 10.4 5.6 7.4

Women

11,564 100.0 26.6 7.4 7.0 20.5 17.8 9.2 5.0 6.5

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. Because of rounding, sums of individual items may not equal totals. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data. Dash indicates no data or data that do not meet publication criteria (values not shown where base is less than 75,000).


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 2020
Educational attainment and sex 25 years and over
Total 25 to 34
years
35 to 44
years
45 to 54
years
55 to 64
years
65 years
and over

Total

4.9 2.8 4.9 7.5 9.9 10.3

Less than a high school diploma

4.6 2.7 4.3 5.3 7.4 9.6

High school graduates, no college

5.0 2.8 4.7 6.7 10.2 10.3

Some college, no degree

4.7 2.7 4.8 6.9 9.8 10.1

Associate degree

5.0 2.9 4.7 7.4 10.4 10.2

College graduates

5.0 2.8 5.2 8.7 9.7 10.8

Bachelor's degree only

4.8 2.9 5.2 8.0 9.4 10.1

Master's degree

5.4 3.0 5.2 9.1 10.2 10.9

Doctoral or professional degree

5.5 2.0 5.1 10.7 10.3 14.7

Men

5.1 2.9 5.1 8.2 10.0 10.3

Less than a high school diploma

4.8 2.8 4.7 5.5 9.5 9.1

High school graduates, no college

5.1 3.0 4.9 7.0 10.5 9.6

Some college, no degree

4.9 2.8 5.1 8.7 9.9 10.0

Associate degree

5.1 3.1 5.2 8.3 11.2 9.6

College graduates

5.2 2.9 5.4 9.6 9.5 11.6

Bachelor's degree only

5.0 2.9 5.6 9.0 9.2 11.0

Master's degree

5.6 3.1 5.1 9.9 9.6 11.3

Doctoral or professional degree

6.2 2.2 5.3 11.1 10.2 14.7

Women

4.8 2.7 4.6 6.8 9.8 10.4

Less than a high school diploma

4.1 2.6 3.4 5.0 5.4 10.0

High school graduates, no college

4.9 2.4 4.4 6.2 9.9 11.6

Some college, no degree

4.4 2.6 4.5 5.2 9.6 10.2

Associate degree

4.9 2.7 4.2 6.6 10.2 11.1

College graduates

4.9 2.8 5.0 7.9 9.9 10.2

Bachelor's degree only

4.6 2.9 4.8 7.2 9.5 9.5

Master's degree

5.3 2.8 5.2 8.4 10.8 10.5

Doctoral or professional degree

5.1 1.9 5.0 10.4 10.3 14.8

NOTE: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data. Dash indicates no data or data that do not meet publication criteria (values not shown where base is less than 75,000).


Table 5. Median years of tenure with current employer for employed wage and salary workers by industry, selected years, 2010-2020
Industry January
2010
January
2012
January
2014
January
2016
January
2018
January
2020

Total, 16 years and over

4.4 4.6 4.6 4.2 4.2 4.1

Private sector

4.0 4.2 4.1 3.7 3.8 3.7

Agriculture and related industries

4.8 4.1 3.6 4.5 4.6 3.5

Nonagricultural industries

4.0 4.2 4.1 3.7 3.8 3.7

Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction

4.8 3.5 4.0 4.6 5.1 4.6

Construction

4.2 4.3 3.9 4.0 4.1 4.0

Manufacturing

6.1 6.0 5.9 5.3 5.0 5.1

Durable goods manufacturing

6.6 6.1 6.0 5.4 5.3 5.3

Nonmetallic mineral products

7.7 7.0 7.6 5.1 5.2 5.2

Primary metals and fabricated metal products

7.2 5.6 6.1 6.0 6.0 5.4

Machinery manufacturing

8.3 5.4 6.2 5.5 5.7 5.3

Computers and electronic products

5.9 7.7 5.1 5.3 5.8 6.1

Electrical equipment and appliances

5.0 5.9 5.8 4.7 4.5 4.5

Transportation equipment

8.3 7.1 7.1 6.1 5.7 5.5

Wood products

4.7 5.3 4.6 4.7 3.5 3.9

Furniture and related product manufacturing

5.0 6.5 5.9 4.8 4.8 5.5

Miscellaneous manufacturing

5.4 4.8 5.1 5.0 4.8 4.7

Nondurable goods manufacturing

5.5 5.8 5.9 5.1 4.7 4.8

Food manufacturing

4.7 4.9 4.7 4.5 3.9 4.2

Beverages and tobacco products

8.1 6.4 4.8 4.3 4.1 3.9

Textiles, apparel, and leather

4.7 4.3 5.3 5.6 5.0 5.0

Paper and printing

6.8 9.7 9.7 5.3 5.4 5.9

Petroleum and coal products

5.1 6.4 6.1 6.6 5.0 5.7

Chemicals

7.3 6.1 7.1 5.3 4.7 5.2

Plastics and rubber products

7.4 6.1 6.5 5.3 5.0 4.5

Wholesale and retail trade

3.6 3.7 3.6 3.3 3.2 3.3

Wholesale trade

5.2 5.5 5.8 5.2 5.1 5.0

Retail trade

3.3 3.3 3.3 3.0 3.0 3.1

Transportation and utilities

5.3 5.6 5.1 4.6 4.8 4.3

Transportation and warehousing

5.0 5.3 4.7 4.4 4.2 3.9

Utilities

9.1 9.5 9.2 7.4 9.5 7.7

Information(1)

5.0 5.4 4.8 4.3 4.4 4.2

Publishing, except Internet

5.6 6.6 5.3 5.7 4.1 5.4

Motion pictures and sound recording industries

3.8 2.6 2.4 2.4 2.9 2.7

Radio and television broadcasting and cable subscriptions programming(2)

4.3 4.9 4.1 3.6 5.0 5.3

Telecommunications(2)

6.6 7.4 7.8 6.0 5.2 6.6

Financial activities

4.6 4.9 5.0 4.8 4.7 4.8

Finance and insurance

4.8 5.0 5.3 5.0 5.0 4.9

Finance

4.5 4.7 5.0 5.0 4.8 4.8

Insurance

5.5 5.7 6.0 5.2 5.4 5.0

Real estate and rental and leasing

3.9 4.5 4.4 3.8 3.6 4.6

Real estate

4.1 4.5 4.6 3.9 3.7 4.7

Rental and leasing services

3.3 4.2 3.5 3.4 3.4 3.8

Professional and business services

3.4 3.8 3.6 3.4 3.6 3.5

Professional and technical services

4.0 4.4 4.2 3.9 3.9 3.9

Management, administrative, and waste services(1)

2.9 3.1 3.1 2.8 3.3 2.9

Administrative and support services

2.8 3.0 3.0 2.6 3.1 2.8

Waste management and remediation services

2.9 4.4 4.7 4.6 5.8 5.3

Education and health services

4.1 4.4 4.5 3.9 3.9 3.8

Educational services

4.4 4.3 4.8 4.0 4.2 3.9

Health care and social assistance

4.1 4.4 4.4 3.9 3.9 3.8

Hospitals

5.3 6.0 5.7 5.6 4.9 5.0

Health services, except hospitals

3.6 3.8 3.9 3.4 3.5 3.4

Social assistance

3.1 3.1 3.2 2.6 3.0 2.9

Leisure and hospitality

2.5 2.4 2.3 2.2 2.2 2.3

Arts, entertainment, and recreation

3.3 3.1 3.0 3.2 3.0 3.3

Accommodation and food services

2.3 2.3 2.1 2.0 2.1 2.1

Accommodation

3.3 3.8 3.5 3.0 3.1 3.2

Food services and drinking places

2.2 2.1 2.0 1.8 2.0 2.0

Other services

4.0 3.8 4.0 3.9 4.0 4.1

Other services, except private households

4.1 3.8 4.2 4.1 3.9 4.1

Repair and maintenance

4.0 3.7 4.0 3.5 3.3 3.3

Personal and laundry services

3.5 3.5 3.7 3.8 3.6 3.8

Membership associations and organizations

4.5 4.3 4.9 4.9 4.5 4.8

Other services, private households

3.4 3.3 3.0 3.3 4.5 4.0

Public sector

7.2 7.8 7.8 7.7 6.8 6.5

Federal government

7.9 9.5 8.5 8.8 8.3 8.2

State government

6.4 6.4 7.4 5.8 5.9 5.6

Local government

7.5 8.1 7.9 8.3 6.9 6.6

(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 2020, industries reflect the introduction of the 2017 Census industry classification system into the Current Population Survey. This industry classification system is derived from the 2017 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). No historical data have been revised. Tenure data for 2014-2018 use the 2012 Census industry classification system, derived from the 2012 NAICS. 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, 2010-2020
Occupation January
2010
January
2012
January
2014
January
2016
January
2018
January
2020

Total, 16 years and over

4.4 4.6 4.6 4.2 4.2 4.1

Management, professional, and related occupations

5.2 5.5 5.7 5.1 5.0 4.9

Management, business, and financial operations occupations

5.4 5.9 6.3 5.5 5.5 5.3

Management occupations

6.1 6.3 6.9 6.3 6.4 5.8

Business and financial operations occupations

4.6 5.2 5.0 4.6 4.5 4.7

Professional and related occupations

5.0 5.4 5.3 4.9 4.7 4.6

Computer and mathematical occupations

4.8 4.8 5.0 4.4 4.3 3.9

Architecture and engineering occupations

5.7 7.0 6.4 5.5 5.7 5.1

Life, physical, and social science occupations

4.6 5.3 5.0 4.9 4.8 4.1

Community and social service occupations

4.6 5.0 5.1 4.3 4.6 4.6

Legal occupations

4.6 5.4 5.4 5.5 5.1 5.8

Education, training, and library occupations

5.6 5.9 6.2 5.3 5.1 5.0

Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations

3.9 4.2 3.4 3.8 3.9 3.4

Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations

4.8 5.2 5.2 4.8 4.3 4.7

Service occupations

3.1 3.2 3.3 2.9 2.9 2.9

Healthcare support occupations

3.3 3.3 3.5 3.1 3.0 2.8

Protective service occupations

5.0 6.4 6.5 6.2 5.0 5.3

Food preparation and serving related occupations

2.3 2.3 2.2 1.9 1.9 1.9

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations

4.1 4.0 4.3 3.8 4.1 4.0

Personal care and service occupations

2.9 3.0 2.9 2.9 3.0 3.1

Sales and office occupations

4.1 4.2 4.0 3.5 3.5 3.7

Sales and related occupations

3.4 3.4 3.4 3.1 3.2 3.3

Office and administrative support occupations

4.7 4.8 4.6 4.0 3.8 4.1

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations

4.7 4.7 4.4 4.5 4.5 4.2

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations

4.2 3.9 3.2 4.1 4.0 3.5

Construction and extraction occupations

4.1 4.3 3.7 4.2 4.2 4.0

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations

5.7 5.3 5.4 5.2 5.1 4.7

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations

4.6 4.8 4.5 4.3 4.0 3.8

Production occupations

5.3 5.3 5.2 4.7 4.4 4.9

Transportation and material moving occupations

4.0 4.3 3.8 3.9 3.5 3.3

NOTE: Beginning with data for January 2020, occupations reflect the introduction of the 2018 Census occupational classification system into the Current Population Survey. This classification system is derived from the 2018 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC). No historical data have been revised. Data for 2020 are not strictly comparable with earlier years. Tenure data for 2012-2018 use the 2010 Census occupational classification system, derived from the 2010 SOC. Data for 2020 are not strictly comparable with other years. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.


Last Modified Date: September 22, 2020