Labor market attachment of baby boomers by educational attainment

The average person born in the latter years of the baby boom (1957–1964) was employed during 78 percent of the weeks from age 18 to age 46. Generally, men spent a larger percent of weeks employed than did women (84 versus 71 percent).

[Chart data]

Women's labor force participation generally rose with the amount of educational attainment, but women at every educational level spent fewer weeks employed than men. Women without a high school diploma spent 46 percent of all weeks employed from age 18 to age 46. That compares with 70 percent of weeks employed among men without a high school diploma.

Women who had graduated from high school but had not attended college were employed 70 percent of weeks from age 18 to age 46. Women who had attended college but had not earned a bachelor's degree were employed 73 percent of weeks from age 18 to age 46. Women with a bachelor's degree or more education were employed 78 percent of weeks from age 18 to age 46. Among men, those with a high school diploma but no college, some college but no bachelor's degree, and a bachelor's degree or more education all spent 87 percent of weeks employed from age 18 to age 46.

These data are from the National Longitudinal Surveys. To learn more, see "Number of Jobs Held, Labor Market Activity, and Earnings Growth among the Youngest Baby Boomers: Results from a Longitudinal Survey" (HTML) (PDF), news release USDL-12-1489.