Bureau of Labor Statistics Washington, D.C. 20212 

Technical information: (202) 691-6378 USDL 08-1344 

 http://www.bls.gov/cps/ 

 For release: 10:00 A.M. (EDT) 

Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Friday, September 26, 2008 

EMPLOYEE TENURE IN 2008 

The median number of years that wage and salary workers had been with their current employer 

was 4.1 years in January 2008, little changed from 4.0 years in January 2006, the Bureau of Labor 

Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. 

Information on employee tenure has been obtained from supplemental questions to the Current 

Population Survey (CPS) every 2 years since 1996. The CPS is a monthly survey of about 60,000 

households that provides information on the labor force status, demographics, and other characteristics 

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 the median tenure of workers, including changes in the age profile among workers as 

well as changes in the number of hires and separations. (See the Technical Note.) 

Demographic Characteristics

In January 2008, median tenure (the point at which half of all workers had more tenure and half had 

less tenure) for men was 4.2 years, about unchanged from January 2006. For women, median tenure in 

January 2008 was 3.9 years, unchanged from January 2006. (See table 1.) 

Older workers tend to have more years of tenure than their younger counterparts. For example, 

median tenure for employees age 55 to 64 was 9.9 years in January 2008, almost four times the tenure 

(2.7 years) for workers age 25 to 34. (See table 1.) 

The percentage of all wage and salary workers age 16 and over with 10 or more years of tenure with 

their current employer was 27 percent in January 2008. Among men, 28 percent had at least 10 years of 

tenure with their current employer in January 2008, higher than the 26 percent among women. A larger 

percentage of older workers than younger workers had 10 or more years of tenure. More than half of all 

workers age 55 and over were employed for at least 10 years with their current employer in January 

2008, compared with only 10 percent of those age 30 to 34. (See tables 2 and 3.) 

The proportion of Hispanic wage and salary workers (age 16 and over) with 10 or more years of 

tenure with their current employer was 19 percent in January 2008, compared with 28 percent of white, 

24 percent of black, and 21 percent of Asian workers. (See table 3.) The shorter tenure among 

Hispanics can be explained, in part, by their relative youth. Nearly 50 percent of Hispanic workers age 

News United States 

Department 

of Labor 
2

16 and over were between the ages of 16 to 34. In contrast, less than 40 percent of whites, blacks, and 

Asians were between 16 and 34 years old. 

In January 2008, about 23 percent of all wage and salary workers age 16 and over had 12 months or 

less of tenure with their current employer. These short-tenured workers include new entrants and 

reentrants to the labor force, job losers who found new jobs during the previous year, and workers who 

had voluntarily changed employers during the previous year. Younger workers are more likely than 

older workers to be short-tenured employees. For example, among 20- to 24-year-old workers, about 

half had a year or less of tenure with their current employer. Among wage and salary workers age 55 to 

64 and those age 65 and over, less than 10 percent had a year or less of tenure. (See table 3.) 

Industry

In January 2008, wage and salary workers in the public sector had double the median tenure of 

private sector employees, 7.2 versus 3.6 years. The longer tenure among workers in the public sector is 

explained, in part, by a higher share of workers age 35 and over among government workers than in the 

private sector. About 3 in 4 government workers were age 35 and over, compared with about 3 out of 5 

private wage and salary workers. Federal employees had a higher median tenure (9.9 years) than state 

(6.5 years) or local government (7.1 years) employees. (See table 5.) 

Within the private sector, workers in manufacturing had the highest median tenure among the major 

industries (5.9 years). In contrast, workers in leisure and hospitality had the lowest median tenure (2.1 

years). These differences in tenure reflect many factors, one of which is varying age distributions across 

industries; workers in manufacturing tend to be older on average than workers in leisure and hospitality. 

(See table 5.) 

Occupation

Among the major occupations, workers in management, professional, and related occupations had 

the highest median tenure (5.1 years) in January 2008. Within this group, employees with jobs in 

architecture and engineering occupations (6.4 years) and management occupations (6.0 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 (2.8 years). Among 

employees working in service jobs, food service workers had the shortest median tenure, at 2.0 years. 

(See table 6.) 

Imputed Data for Older Veterans and Young Workers 

Due to a programming error in the January 2008 survey instrument, employee tenure 

information was not obtained from respondents who were 16 years old and from those 

who were veterans age 65 and over. Missing data for these individuals were imputed 

using information collected from respondents who were 16 years old and veterans age 65 

and over in the January 2006 supplement. This imputation had minimal effect on the 

overall estimates because of the similar employment characteristics of these two groups 

in January 2006 and January 2008. 
Technical Note 

The data in this release were collected through a 

supplement to the January 2008 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 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 2008 CPS supplement obtained information on worker displacement and workers' tenure with 

their current employer. The data on worker displacement 

appear in the BLS news release USDL 08-1183, "Worker 

Displacement, 2005-2007," issued on August 20, 2008. 

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 note for the household survey online at 

http://www.bls.gov/cps/eetech_methods.pdf. 

Tenure questions and concepts 

In the January 2008 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 

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. 

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. 

Data refer to the sole or principal job of full- and parttime workers. All data exclude the incorporated and unincorporated self-employed. 

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. 

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, 1996-2008

Age and sex February

1996

February

1998

February

2000

January

2002

January

2004

January

2006

January

2008

TOTAL

 16 years and over ....................... 3.8 3.6 3.5 3.7 4.0 4.0 4.1

16 to 17 years ................................... .7 .6 .6 .7 .7 .6 .7

18 to 19 years ................................... .7 .7 .7 .8 .8 .7 .8

20 to 24 years ................................... 1.2 1.1 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.3

25 years and over ............................. 5.0 4.7 4.7 4.7 4.9 4.9 5.1

 25 to 34 years ................................. 2.8 2.7 2.6 2.7 2.9 2.9 2.7

 35 to 44 years ................................. 5.3 5.0 4.8 4.6 4.9 4.9 4.9

 45 to 54 years ................................. 8.3 8.1 8.2 7.6 7.7 7.3 7.6

 55 to 64 years ................................. 10.2 10.1 10.0 9.9 9.6 9.3 9.9

 65 years and over ........................... 8.4 7.8 9.4 8.6 9.0 8.8 10.2

Men

 16 years and over ....................... 4.0 3.8 3.8 3.9 4.1 4.1 4.2

16 to 17 years ................................... .6 .6 .6 .8 .7 .7 .7

18 to 19 years ................................... .7 .7 .7 .8 .8 .7 .8

20 to 24 years ................................... 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.4 1.3 1.4 1.4

25 years and over ............................. 5.3 4.9 4.9 4.9 5.1 5.0 5.2

 25 to 34 years ................................. 3.0 2.8 2.7 2.8 3.0 2.9 2.8

 35 to 44 years ................................. 6.1 5.5 5.3 5.0 5.2 5.1 5.2

 45 to 54 years ................................. 10.1 9.4 9.5 9.1 9.6 8.1 8.2

 55 to 64 years ................................. 10.5 11.2 10.2 10.2 9.8 9.5 10.1

 65 years and over ........................... 8.3 7.1 9.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 10.4

Women

 16 years and over ....................... 3.5 3.4 3.3 3.4 3.8 3.9 3.9

16 to 17 years ................................... .7 .6 .6 .7 .6 .6 .6

18 to 19 years ................................... .7 .7 .7 .8 .8 .7 .8

20 to 24 years ................................... 1.2 1.1 1.0 1.1 1.3 1.2 1.3

25 years and over ............................. 4.7 4.4 4.4 4.4 4.7 4.8 4.9

 25 to 34 years ................................. 2.7 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.8 2.8 2.6

 35 to 44 years ................................. 4.8 4.5 4.3 4.2 4.5 4.6 4.7

 45 to 54 years ................................. 7.0 7.2 7.3 6.5 6.4 6.7 7.0

 55 to 64 years ................................. 10.0 9.6 9.9 9.6 9.2 9.2 9.8

 65 years and over ........................... 8.4 8.7 9.7 9.4 9.6 9.5 9.9

 NOTE: Data for 1996 and 1998 are based on population controls from the 1990 census. Data beginning in 2000 reflect the introduction of

Census 2000 population controls and are not strictly comparable with data for prior years. In addition, data for 2004 forward reflect updated

population controls 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, 1996-2008

Age and sex February

1996

February

1998

February

2000

January

2002

January

2004

January

2006

January

2008

TOTAL

 25 years and over ....................... 30.5 30.7 31.5 30.8 30.6 30.0 31.5

25 to 29 years ................................... 2.8 2.7 2.5 2.2 2.4 2.4 2.3

30 to 34 years ................................... 14.7 14.7 13.9 11.7 10.9 10.6 10.1

35 to 39 years ................................... 26.9 27.0 26.1 25.2 23.2 22.8 23.0

40 to 44 years ................................... 36.1 35.6 35.8 33.9 32.4 31.8 32.9

45 to 49 years ................................... 44.5 42.9 45.2 41.2 42.1 39.9 40.2

50 to 54 years ................................... 50.4 48.8 48.7 49.4 48.5 46.6 47.7

55 to 59 years ................................... 54.0 52.9 53.1 53.3 50.9 50.1 52.4

60 to 64 years ................................... 51.5 54.4 53.0 50.5 49.7 48.4 53.6

65 years and over ............................. 47.4 45.0 49.8 48.0 48.7 48.5 56.3

Men

 25 years and over ....................... 33.1 32.7 33.4 32.6 32.4 31.1 32.9

25 to 29 years ................................... 3.3 3.1 3.0 2.6 2.7 2.6 2.4

30 to 34 years ................................... 15.6 15.3 15.1 13.0 11.9 11.6 11.3

35 to 39 years ................................... 30.5 29.7 29.4 27.2 24.9 24.7 25.4

40 to 44 years ................................... 41.7 39.1 40.2 37.4 36.2 34.8 35.8

45 to 49 years ................................... 50.8 47.4 49.0 45.4 48.1 42.9 43.5

50 to 54 years ................................... 54.9 52.8 51.6 54.0 53.0 49.7 50.4

55 to 59 years ................................... 55.7 56.5 53.7 56.5 53.4 51.0 54.9

60 to 64 years ................................... 50.4 55.7 52.4 48.4 48.5 48.1 52.4

65 years and over ............................. 47.6 42.3 48.6 46.4 46.8 47.2 58.9

Women

 25 years and over ....................... 27.6 28.4 29.5 28.8 28.6 28.8 30.0

25 to 29 years ................................... 2.2 2.2 1.9 1.8 1.9 2.1 2.1

30 to 34 years ................................... 13.6 14.0 12.5 10.2 9.8 9.4 8.7

35 to 39 years ................................... 22.9 24.0 22.3 22.9 21.3 20.5 20.3

40 to 44 years ................................... 30.4 31.8 31.2 30.2 28.5 28.4 29.9

45 to 49 years ................................... 38.1 38.4 41.4 37.0 36.2 36.9 36.7

50 to 54 years ................................... 45.8 44.6 45.8 44.8 44.1 43.6 45.0

55 to 59 years ................................... 52.1 49.2 52.5 49.9 48.4 49.1 50.0

60 to 64 years ................................... 52.7 53.0 53.6 52.6 51.0 48.7 54.8

65 years and over ............................. 47.2 47.7 51.0 49.7 50.7 49.9 53.8

 NOTE: Data for 1996 and 1998 are based on population controls from the 1990 census. Data beginning in 2000 reflect the introduction of

Census 2000 population controls and are not strictly comparable with data for prior years. In addition, data for 2004 forward reflect updated

population controls 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 2008

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 4years

5 to 9

years

10 to 14

years

15 to 19

years

20 years

or more

TOTAL

 16 years and over ............. 129,276 100.0 22.9 7.4 5.6 16.9 20.2 10.6 6.2 10.3

16 to 19 years ......................... 5,200 100.0 73.8 11.5 7.5 7.0 .3 – – –

20 years and over ................... 124,076 100.0 20.8 7.2 5.5 17.3 21.0 11.0 6.4 10.7

 20 to 24 years ....................... 13,139 100.0 49.9 13.2 10.2 20.4 6.4 1 () – –

 25 to 34 years ....................... 29,097 100.0 28.2 10.4 8.5 23.4 23.5 5.4 .6 1 ( )

 35 to 44 years ....................... 30,150 100.0 17.1 6.6 4.8 18.1 25.3 15.3 8.2 4.5

 45 to 54 years ....................... 30,151 100.0 12.9 4.4 3.5 13.7 21.6 14.4 9.9 19.4

 55 to 64 years ....................... 17,242 100.0 9.4 4.3 2.6 11.2 19.7 14.1 10.9 27.8

 65 years and over ................. 4,297 100.0 8.9 2.5 2.8 10.6 18.9 16.6 10.4 29.2

Men

 16 years and over ............. 66,660 100.0 22.4 6.9 5.6 16.9 19.9 10.7 6.1 11.5

16 to 19 years ......................... 2,423 100.0 72.5 11.8 8.4 7.0 .3 – – –

20 years and over ................... 64,236 100.0 20.5 6.8 5.5 17.3 20.6 11.1 6.3 11.9

 20 to 24 years ....................... 6,856 100.0 49.6 12.2 10.2 21.3 6.6 – – –

 25 to 34 years ....................... 15,709 100.0 27.4 9.7 8.3 23.3 24.6 5.8 .9 1 ( )

 35 to 44 years ....................... 15,755 100.0 16.7 6.0 4.8 17.6 24.4 16.6 8.7 5.3

 45 to 54 years ....................... 15,289 100.0 12.7 3.9 3.3 13.1 20.4 14.0 10.0 22.7

 55 to 64 years ....................... 8,513 100.0 8.5 4.7 2.3 11.6 18.8 13.4 9.9 30.7

 65 years and over ................. 2,115 100.0 8.5 2.7 2.0 10.5 17.6 15.8 9.1 33.9

Women

 16 years and over ............. 62,616 100.0 23.5 7.8 5.7 16.9 20.4 10.5 6.2 9.0

16 to 19 years ......................... 2,776 100.0 74.9 11.2 6.8 6.9 .3 – – –

20 years and over ................... 59,840 100.0 21.1 7.7 5.6 17.3 21.4 11.0 6.5 9.4

 20 to 24 years ....................... 6,283 100.0 50.2 14.2 10.1 19.3 6.1 .1 – –

 25 to 34 years ....................... 13,388 100.0 29.2 11.2 8.6 23.5 22.3 5.0 .3 –

 35 to 44 years ....................... 14,395 100.0 17.5 7.4 4.8 18.7 26.3 13.9 7.6 3.8

 45 to 54 years ....................... 14,862 100.0 13.2 5.1 3.8 14.4 22.9 15.0 9.8 16.0

 55 to 64 years ....................... 8,729 100.0 10.3 3.9 2.8 10.8 20.5 14.9 11.8 25.1

 65 years and over ................. 2,182 100.0 9.3 2.3 3.6 10.6 20.3 17.4 11.7 24.7

White 

 16 years and over ............... 105,246 100.0 22.6 7.3 5.4 16.4 20.2 10.8 6.4 10.8

Men ......................................... 55,008 100.0 22.0 6.8 5.4 16.5 19.8 10.9 6.4 12.2

Women ................................... 50,238 100.0 23.2 7.9 5.5 16.3 20.6 10.7 6.4 9.3

Black or African American 

 16 years and over ............... 14,497 100.0 24.5 7.1 6.8 18.0 19.7 10.3 4.7 8.8

Men ......................................... 6,704 100.0 25.4 7.2 6.7 17.0 19.5 10.6 4.0 9.6

Women ................................... 7,793 100.0 23.7 7.0 6.9 18.9 19.9 10.1 5.4 8.2

Asian 

 16 years and over ............... 6,283 100.0 21.5 7.6 5.4 21.8 22.4 9.6 5.5 6.2

Men ......................................... 3,316 100.0 19.8 7.5 5.0 23.2 24.0 9.5 5.6 5.4

Women ................................... 2,967 100.0 23.4 7.7 5.8 20.3 20.5 9.7 5.3 7.2

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

 16 years and over ............... 18,645 100.0 26.9 7.1 7.2 19.9 20.2 9.3 4.5 4.9

Men ......................................... 10,886 100.0 25.9 6.3 7.6 20.5 20.1 9.2 4.8 5.6

Women ................................... 7,759 100.0 28.3 8.2 6.8 19.1 20.4 9.4 4.0 3.9

1 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. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release

of January data. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Dash

represents zero or rounds to 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, January 2008

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 ........................................................ 5.1 2.7 4.9 7.6 9.9 10.2

Less than a high school diploma ................ 4.0 2.6 3.7 4.8 8.9 8.3

High school graduates, no college ............. 5.4 2.8 4.9 7.8 10.0 10.3

Some college, no degree ............................ 4.9 2.7 4.6 7.6 9.2 10.2

Associate degree ........................................ 5.2 2.9 5.0 7.8 9.8 10.3

College graduates ...................................... 5.3 2.7 5.5 8.2 10.4 10.4

 Bachelor’s degree ..................................... 5.0 2.6 5.5 8.2 10.1 10.3

 Master’s degree ........................................ 5.9 3.0 5.5 8.5 10.3 10.3

 Doctoral or professional degree ............... 6.1 2.0 5.1 7.9 15.2 15.8

 Men ......................................................... 5.2 2.8 5.2 8.2 10.1 10.4

Less than a high school diploma ................ 4.1 2.8 3.9 5.1 9.6 8.4

High school graduates, no college ............. 5.5 2.8 5.4 8.4 10.4 10.9

Some college, no degree ............................ 5.0 2.9 4.7 8.9 9.3 11.6

Associate degree ........................................ 5.6 3.1 6.1 9.3 10.1 10.0

College graduates ...................................... 5.5 2.8 5.6 8.7 10.4 12.5

 Bachelor’s degree ..................................... 5.3 2.7 5.8 9.5 10.1 10.3

 Master’s degree ........................................ 5.9 3.2 5.1 7.9 9.7 10.4

 Doctoral or professional degree ............... 6.7 2.2 5.4 7.9 16.3 18.8

 Women ................................................... 4.9 2.6 4.7 7.0 9.8 9.9

Less than a high school diploma ................ 3.8 2.2 3.5 4.3 7.7 8.3

High school graduates, no college ............. 5.3 2.7 4.3 7.1 9.7 10.0

Some college, no degree ............................ 4.7 2.4 4.5 6.8 9.1 9.8

Associate degree ........................................ 4.9 2.9 4.6 7.0 9.5 10.8

College graduates ...................................... 5.0 2.6 5.4 7.8 10.3 10.1

 Bachelor’s degree ..................................... 4.8 2.5 5.2 7.4 10.2 10.2

 Master’s degree ........................................ 6.0 2.8 6.2 9.4 11.3 9.9

 Doctoral or professional degree ............... 4.6 1.9 4.4 7.7 10.3 7.2

 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, 2000-08

Industry February

2000

January

2002

January

2004

January

2006

January

2008

 Total, 16 years and over ....................................................................... 3.5 3.7 4.0 4.0 4.1

Private sector .......................................................................................... 3.2 3.3 3.5 3.6 3.6

 Agriculture and related industries ......................................................... 3.7 4.2 3.7 3.8 4.3

 Nonagricultural industries ..................................................................... 3.2 3.3 3.5 3.6 3.6

 Mining ................................................................................................. 4.8 4.5 5.2 3.8 4.1

 Construction ....................................................................................... 2.7 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.5

 Manufacturing ..................................................................................... 4.9 5.4 5.8 5.5 5.9

 Durable goods manufacturing .......................................................... 4.8 5.5 6.0 5.6 6.1

 Nonmetallic mineral products ......................................................... 5.5 5.3 4.8 5.0 4.8

 Primary metals and fabricated metal products ............................... 5.0 6.3 6.4 6.2 5.2

 Machinery manufacturing ............................................................... 5.3 6.8 6.4 6.6 6.0

 Computers and electronic products ................................................ 3.9 4.7 5.2 5.9 6.7

 Electrical equipment and appliances .............................................. 5.0 5.5 9.8 6.2 6.2

 Transportation equipment ............................................................... 6.4 7.0 7.7 7.2 7.8

 Wood products ............................................................................... 3.7 4.3 5.0 4.7 6.2

 Furniture and fixtures ...................................................................... 4.4 4.7 4.7 4.2 5.2

 Miscellaneous manufacturing ......................................................... 3.7 4.5 4.6 3.9 4.7

 Nondurable goods manufacturing .................................................... 5.0 5.3 5.5 5.4 5.4

 Food manufacturing ........................................................................ 4.6 5.0 4.9 5.2 4.3

 Beverage and tobacco products ..................................................... 5.5 4.6 8.0 5.4 6.9

 Textiles, apparel, and leather ......................................................... 4.7 5.0 5.0 4.4 4.6

 Paper and printing .......................................................................... 5.1 6.2 6.9 6.3 5.5

 Petroleum and coal products .......................................................... 9.5 9.8 11.4 5.0 4.3

 Chemicals ....................................................................................... 6.0 5.7 5.3 6.1 7.6

 Plastics and rubber products .......................................................... 4.6 5.3 5.7 5.0 5.3

 Wholesale and retail trade .................................................................. 2.7 2.8 3.1 3.1 3.2

 Wholesale trade ................................................................................ 3.9 3.9 4.3 4.6 5.0

 Retail trade ....................................................................................... 2.5 2.6 2.8 2.8 2.9

 Transportation and utilities ................................................................. 4.7 4.9 5.3 4.9 5.1

 Transportation and warehousing ...................................................... 4.0 4.3 4.7 4.3 4.6

 Utilities .............................................................................................. 11.5 13.4 13.3 10.4 10.1

 Information 1 ....................................................................................... 3.4 3.3 4.3 4.8 4.7

 Publishing, except Internet ............................................................... 4.2 4.8 4.7 5.3 4.7

 Motion picture and sound recording industries ................................. 1.6 2.3 2.2 1.9 1.9

 Broadcasting, except Internet ........................................................... 3.6 3.1 4.0 4.6 3.4

 Telecommunications ......................................................................... 4.3 3.4 4.6 5.3 6.9

 Financial activities .............................................................................. 3.5 3.6 3.9 4.0 4.5

 Finance and insurance ..................................................................... 3.6 3.9 4.1 4.1 4.7

 Finance ........................................................................................... 3.3 3.6 4.0 3.9 4.4

 Insurance ........................................................................................ 4.4 4.5 4.4 4.7 5.2

 Real estate and rental and leasing ................................................... 3.1 3.0 3.3 3.4 3.7

 Real estate ..................................................................................... 3.1 3.2 3.5 3.5 3.9

 Rental and leasing services ............................................................ 3.0 2.2 2.9 3.1 3.0

 Professional and business services ................................................... 2.4 2.7 3.2 3.2 3.1

 Professional and technical services ................................................. 2.6 3.1 3.6 3.8 3.3

 Management, administrative, and waste services 1 ......................... 2.0 2.1 2.6 2.5 2.5

 Administrative and support services ............................................... 1.8 1.9 2.4 2.4 2.4

 Waste management and remediation services .............................. 3.6 4.3 3.4 4.1 4.1

 Education and health services ............................................................ 3.4 3.5 3.6 4.0 4.1

 Educational services ......................................................................... 3.2 3.6 3.8 4.0 4.3

 Health care and social assistance .................................................... 3.5 3.5 3.6 4.1 4.1

 Hospitals ......................................................................................... 5.1 4.9 4.7 5.2 5.4

 Health services, except hospitals ................................................... 3.2 3.1 3.3 3.6 3.6

 Social assistance ............................................................................ 2.4 2.5 2.8 3.1 3.0

 Leisure and hospitality ........................................................................ 1.7 1.8 2.0 1.9 2.1

 Arts, entertainment, and recreation .................................................. 2.6 2.3 2.8 3.1 2.8

 Accommodation and food services ................................................... 1.5 1.6 1.9 1.6 1.9

 Accommodation .............................................................................. 2.8 2.7 3.1 2.5 3.1

 Food services and drinking places ................................................. 1.4 1.4 1.6 1.4 1.6

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 5. Median years of tenure with current employer for employed wage and salary workers by industry,

selected years, 2000-08—Continued

Industry February

2000

January

2002

January

2004

January

2006

January

2008

 Other services .................................................................................... 3.1 3.3 3.3 3.2 3.3

 Other services, except private households ....................................... 3.2 3.3 3.5 3.3 3.4

 Repair and maintenance ................................................................ 3.0 3.0 3.2 2.9 3.0

 Personal and laundry services ....................................................... 2.7 2.8 3.4 2.8 3.2

 Membership associations and organizations .................................. 4.0 4.1 3.9 4.2 4.4

 Other services, private households .................................................. 3.0 2.7 2.3 2.8 2.8

Public sector ........................................................................................... 7.1 6.7 6.9 6.9 7.2

 Federal government ............................................................................. 11.5 11.3 10.4 9.9 9.9

 State government ................................................................................. 5.5 5.4 6.4 6.3 6.5

 Local government ................................................................................. 6.7 6.2 6.4 6.6 7.1

1 Includes other industries, not shown separately.

 NOTE: Data beginning in 2000 reflect the introduction of Census 2000 population controls. Data for 2004 forward reflect updated population controls

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, 2000-08

Occupation February

2000

January

2002

January

2004

January

2006

January

2008

 Total, 16 years and over ..................................................................... 3.5 3.7 4.0 4.0 4.1

 Management, professional, and related occupations ............................ 4.6 4.6 5.0 5.2 5.1

 Management, business, and financial operations occupations ........... 4.9 5.2 5.5 5.5 5.4

 Management occupations ................................................................ 5.3 5.6 6.0 6.0 6.0

 Business and financial operations occupations ................................ 4.0 4.2 4.5 4.7 4.6

 Professional and related occupations .................................................. 4.4 4.2 4.7 5.0 4.9

 Computer and mathematical occupations ........................................ 3.1 3.2 4.8 4.8 4.5

 Architecture and engineering occupations ....................................... 4.8 5.2 5.8 6.5 6.4

 Life, physical, and social science occupations ................................. 4.6 4.3 4.2 4.7 4.0

 Community and social services occupations .................................... 4.6 4.4 4.7 4.7 4.8

 Legal occupations ............................................................................. 3.9 4.5 4.1 5.0 4.3

 Education, training, and library occupations ..................................... 5.4 4.8 5.1 5.3 5.4

 Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations ............ 3.2 3.0 3.6 3.6 3.4

 Healthcare practitioner and technical occupations ........................... 4.6 4.3 4.5 4.8 4.9

 Service occupations .............................................................................. 2.5 2.4 2.8 2.8 2.8

 Healthcare support occupations .......................................................... 2.8 2.5 2.9 3.1 3.1

 Protective service occupations ............................................................ 5.6 5.4 5.5 5.5 5.9

 Food preparation and serving related occupations ............................. 1.6 1.5 1.8 1.8 2.0

 Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations ............ 3.4 3.0 3.3 3.7 3.6

 Personal care and service occupations ............................................... 2.3 2.3 2.7 2.4 2.6

 Sales and office occupations ................................................................. 3.1 3.2 3.4 3.4 3.5

 Sales and related occupations ............................................................ 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.8 2.9

 Office and administrative support occupations .................................... 3.4 3.6 4.0 4.1 4.2

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations ........... 3.6 3.7 3.7 3.5 4.0

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations .......................................... 2.8 4.0 3.7 3.6 3.1

 Construction and extraction occupations ............................................. 3.1 3.2 3.2 3.0 3.5

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations .............................. 4.7 4.6 4.7 4.6 5.0

 Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ............... 3.9 4.3 4.2 4.0 4.5

 Production occupations ....................................................................... 4.5 5.2 5.0 4.8 5.0

 Transportation and material moving occupations ................................ 3.2 3.2 3.4 3.3 3.8

 NOTE: Data beginning in 2000 reflect the introduction of Census 2000 population controls. Data for 2004 forward reflect updated population controls

introduced annually with the release of January data.