2 Among the other findings of the study: ? The median tenure of public-sector workers has been significantly longer than the median tenure of private-sector workers from 1983 to 2016. The public sector median tenure has ranged from two- News from EBRI thirds longer to just over two times longer. In 2016, the median tenure for public-sector workers was 8.5 years compared to 4.1 years for private-sector workers. ? The distribution of tenure had been moving to longer tenures from 1983-2012, when 52.7 percent of th wage and salary workers ages 20 or older had been with their current employers for 5 or more years. 1100 13 St. NW ? Suite 878 ? Washington, DC 20005 In the most recent years, shorter tenures have increased where in 2016 50.6 percent of these workers (202) 659-0670 ? www.ebri.org ? Fax: (202) 775-6312 have tenure less than five years. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept. 20, 2017 ? These tenure results indicate that, historically, most workers have changed jobs during their working CONTACT: Craig Copeland, EBRI (author), copeland@ebir.org, 202/775-6356 careers, and all evidence suggests that they will continue to do so in the future. This persistence of job changing over working careers has several important implications—potentially reduced or no New Res defined b earch fr enefit pl om EBRI: an payments d ue to vesting schedules, lump sum distributions that can occur at job change, and public policy issues both through lower retirement incomes of the elderly population U.S. Job Tenure Ticks Down to 5.1 Years because of benefits lost at job change and the experience of the public-sector labor force, which has workers with higher levels of longer tenure who are likely to be retiring soon. WASHINGTON—The typical American worker stayed at their job just over five years last year, down ? From 2014 to 2016, the median tenure decreased for private-sector workers and the share of slightly from the record high since 1983 set in 2014, according to new research by the nonpartisan workers with shorter tenure levels increased, suggesting that both new workers have been added to Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI). the private sector labor force and workers already there have changed jobs, potentially to better jobs, as the economy has improved. Specifically, EBRI found that the median tenure (mid-point, half above and half below) for all wage and ? The median tenure for male wage and salary workers ages 25 or older was 5.2 years in 2016 (down salary workers ages 25 or older with their current employers was 5.1 years in 2016, compared with the from 5.5 years in 2014), compared with 4.9 years in 1998-2002 (lowest years) and 5.9 years in 1983 high since 1983 of 5.5 years in 2014 and the low of 4.7 years in 1998-2002. (highest year). By comparison, the median tenure for female wage and salary workers ages 25 and older was 5.0 years in 2016, which was down from 5.4 years in 2014 (highest year) but up from 4.2 This appears to be a result of the continued decline in the unemployment rate through 2016 that has years in 1983 (lowest year). coincided with an increase in the percentage of workers with shorter tenures. While workers who have been at their jobs 10 or more years seem to be staying in them, more workers have been starting to work The EBRI study examines employee-tenure data of American workers. It uses U.S. Census Bureau data or have changed jobs, particularly those who previously had 5-9 years of tenure, driving up this from the Current Population Survey (CPS), including the most recent January CPS data, to examine the percentage of workers with the shortest tenure levels. tenure with current employers of wage and salary workers from 1983–2016. The EBRI report notes that Median Years of Tenure For Wage and Salary The full report is published in the Sept. 20 EBRI Notes, “Employee Tenure Trends, 1983-2016,” available Workers Ages 25 or Older by Gender, 1983-2016 historical job tenure data onlin 6.0 e at www.ebri.org demonstrates that so-called 5.9 5.7 “career jobs”—where a person The Employee Benefit Research Institute is a private, nonpartisan, nonprofit research institute based in All Male Female stays with one employer their 5.5 5.5 Washington, DC, that focuses on health, savings, retirement, and economic security issues. EBRI does 5.5 5.5 5.4 entire working career—has 5.3 not lobby and does not 5 tak .3 e policy positions. The work of EBRI is made possible by funding from its 5.4 5.4 5.4 5.2 always been rare. The members and sponsors, which include a broad range of p 5.ub 2 lic, private, fo 5.2 r-profit and nonprofit 5.1 American workforce has 5.1 5.1 5.0 5.0 5.1 organizations. For more information go to www.ebri.org 5.0 always been mobile. 5.0 5.0 5.0 4.9 4.9 4.9 4.9 4.9 4.9 4.8 4.8 4.7 4.7 4.7 4.7 4.7 “The data on employee 4.5 tenure—the amount of time an ### 4.4 4.4 4.4 individual has been with his or 4.3 4.3 4.2 her current employer—show 4.0 that career jobs never actually 1983 1987 1991 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 existed for most workers and Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, "Employee Tenure," at www.bls.gov/news.release/tenure.t01.htm; ftp.bls.gov/pub/news.release/History/tenure.09192002.news, viewed January 30, 2007; www.bls.gov.release/tenure.nr0.htm,viewe d Nov. 24, continue not to exist for most 2010; and stats.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/tenure.pdf, viewed October 3, 2012; www.bls.gov/news.release/tenure.t03.htm, viewed January 5, 201; and www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/tenure.pdf, viewed June 8, 2017. workers,” said Craig Copeland, senior research associate at EBRI and author of the report. “The idea that current American workers change jobs more frequently and have less employment security than past generations is not borne out by 1200 the numbers.” EBRI on Twitter: @EBRI or http://twitter.com/EBRI EBRI RSS: http://feeds.feedburner.com/EBRI-RSS Median Years With Current Employer