age 16

For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Tuesday, September 18, 2012 USDL-12-1887 

Technical information: (202) 691-6378 • cpsinfo@bls.gov • www.bls.gov/cps 

Media contact: (202) 691-5902 • PressOffice@bls.gov 

EMPLOYEE TENURE IN 2012

The median number of years that wage and salary workers had been with their current employer was 4.6 

in January 2012, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This measure, referred to as 

employee tenure, was higher than the median tenure (4.4 years) in January 2010. 

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

Population Survey (CPS) every 2 years since 1996. These data are collected as part of the Displaced 

Worker Supplement, which is sponsored by the Employment and Training Administration of the 

U.S. Department of Labor. The CPS is a monthly 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 the 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. 

Demographic Characteristics 

In January 2012, median employee tenure (the point at which half of all workers had more tenure and 

half had less tenure) for men was 4.7 years, little changed from January 2010. For women, median 

tenure in January 2012 was 4.6 years, up from 4.2 years in January 2010. Among men, 30 percent of 

wage and salary workers had 10 years or more of tenure with their current employer; among women, the 

figure was 28 percent. (See tables 1 and 3.) 

Median employee tenure varied by age. Older workers tend to have more years of tenure than their 

younger counterparts. For example, the median tenure for employees age 65 and over was 10.3 years in 

January 2012, over three times the tenure for workers age 25 to 34 (3.2 years). More than half of all 

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

2012, compared with 13 percent of workers age 30 to 34. (See tables 1 and 2.) 

Among the major race and ethnicity groups, 20 percent of Hispanics had been with their current 

employer for 10 years or more in January 2012, compared with 31 percent of whites, 26 percent of 

blacks, and 23 percent of Asians. (See table 3.) The shorter tenure among Hispanics can be explained, 

in part, by their relative youth. Almost half of Hispanic workers age 16 and over were age 16 to 34, 

compared with just over a third of whites, blacks, and Asians. 
- 2 - 

Twenty-one percent of all wage and salary workers age 16 and over had a year or less of tenure with 

their current employer in January 2012. This short-tenured group of workers includes 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 16- to 19-year-old workers, 73 

percent had tenure of 12 months or less with their current employer in January 2012, compared with 9 

percent of workers age 55 to 64. (See table 3.) 

Industry 

In January 2012, wage and salary workers in the public sector had almost double the median tenure of 

private sector employees, 7.8 versus 4.2 years. (See table 5.) The longer tenure among workers in the 

public sector is explained, in part, by the age profile of government workers. About three in four 

government workers were age 35 and over, compared with about three in five private wage and salary 

workers. 

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

industries (6.0 years). In contrast, workers in leisure and hospitality had the lowest median tenure 

(2.4 years). (See table 5.) These differences in tenure reflect many factors, including the varying age 

distributions across industries. On average, workers in manufacturing tend to be older than workers in 

leisure and hospitality. 

Occupation 

In January 2012, workers in management, professional, and related occupations had the highest median 

tenure (5.5 years) among the major occupational groups. Within this group, employees in architecture 

and engineering occupations and in management occupations had the longest tenure—7.0 and 6.3 years, 

respectively. Workers in service occupations, who are generally younger than persons employed in 

management, professional, and related occupations, had the lowest median tenure (3.2 years). Among 

employees working in service jobs, food service workers had the shortest median tenure, at 2.3 years. 

(See table 6.) 
Technical Note 

The data in this release were collected through a 

supplement to the January 2012 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 2012 CPS supplement 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. 

Revised population controls are introduced periodically 

in the CPS, which can affect the comparability of labor force 

levels over time. Beginning in 2012, data reflect the 

introduction of Census 2010 population controls and are not 

strictly comparable with data for prior years. Additional 

information about population control adjustments is available 

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 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. 

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 January 2012 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. 

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 because less-senior workers are 

more likely to lose their jobs than are workers with longer 

tenure. During periods of economic growth, median tenure
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, 2002-2012

Age and sex January

2002

January

2004

January

2006

January

2008

January

2010

January

2012

TOTAL

 16 years and over ....................... 3.7 4.0 4.0 4.1 4.4 4.6

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

18 to 19 years ................................... .8 .8 .7 .8 1.0 .8

20 to 24 years ................................... 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.5 1.3

25 years and over ............................. 4.7 4.9 4.9 5.1 5.2 5.4

 25 to 34 years ................................. 2.7 2.9 2.9 2.7 3.1 3.2

 35 to 44 years ................................. 4.6 4.9 4.9 4.9 5.1 5.3

 45 to 54 years ................................. 7.6 7.7 7.3 7.6 7.8 7.8

 55 to 64 years ................................. 9.9 9.6 9.3 9.9 10.0 10.3

 65 years and over ........................... 8.6 9.0 8.8 10.2 9.9 10.3

Men

 16 years and over ....................... 3.9 4.1 4.1 4.2 4.6 4.7

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

18 to 19 years ................................... .8 .8 .7 .8 1.0 .8

20 to 24 years ................................... 1.4 1.3 1.4 1.4 1.6 1.4

25 years and over ............................. 4.9 5.1 5.0 5.2 5.3 5.5

 25 to 34 years ................................. 2.8 3.0 2.9 2.8 3.2 3.2

 35 to 44 years ................................. 5.0 5.2 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4

 45 to 54 years ................................. 9.1 9.6 8.1 8.2 8.5 8.5

 55 to 64 years ................................. 10.2 9.8 9.5 10.1 10.4 10.7

 65 years and over ........................... 8.1 8.2 8.3 10.4 9.7 10.2

Women

 16 years and over ....................... 3.4 3.8 3.9 3.9 4.2 4.6

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

18 to 19 years ................................... .8 .8 .7 .8 1.0 .8

20 to 24 years ................................... 1.1 1.3 1.2 1.3 1.5 1.3

25 years and over ............................. 4.4 4.7 4.8 4.9 5.1 5.4

 25 to 34 years ................................. 2.5 2.8 2.8 2.6 3.0 3.1

 35 to 44 years ................................. 4.2 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.9 5.2

 45 to 54 years ................................. 6.5 6.4 6.7 7.0 7.1 7.3

 55 to 64 years ................................. 9.6 9.2 9.2 9.8 9.7 10.0

 65 years and over ........................... 9.4 9.6 9.5 9.9 10.1 10.5

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, 2002-2012

Age and sex January

2002

January

2004

January

2006

January

2008

January

2010

January

2012

TOTAL

 25 years and over ....................... 30.8 30.6 30.0 31.5 33.1 33.7

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

30 to 34 years ................................... 11.7 10.9 10.6 10.1 12.8 12.5

35 to 39 years ................................... 25.2 23.2 22.8 23.0 25.7 25.2

40 to 44 years ................................... 33.9 32.4 31.8 32.9 35.3 35.1

45 to 49 years ................................... 41.2 42.1 39.9 40.2 40.8 41.6

50 to 54 years ................................... 49.4 48.5 46.6 47.7 48.9 48.4

55 to 59 years ................................... 53.3 50.9 50.1 52.4 52.4 54.1

60 to 64 years ................................... 50.5 49.7 48.4 53.6 54.5 55.1

65 years and over ............................. 48.0 48.7 48.5 56.3 53.1 55.5

Men

 25 years and over ....................... 32.6 32.4 31.1 32.9 34.3 34.6

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

30 to 34 years ................................... 13.0 11.9 11.6 11.3 14.3 13.2

35 to 39 years ................................... 27.2 24.9 24.7 25.4 27.2 25.7

40 to 44 years ................................... 37.4 36.2 34.8 35.8 37.5 36.9

45 to 49 years ................................... 45.4 48.1 42.9 43.5 43.7 44.8

50 to 54 years ................................... 54.0 53.0 49.7 50.4 51.3 51.4

55 to 59 years ................................... 56.5 53.4 51.0 54.9 53.6 55.7

60 to 64 years ................................... 48.4 48.5 48.1 52.4 56.8 56.2

65 years and over ............................. 46.4 46.8 47.2 58.9 51.9 55.5

Women

 25 years and over ....................... 28.8 28.6 28.8 30.0 31.9 32.8

25 to 29 years ................................... 1.8 1.9 2.1 2.1 1.6 2.3

30 to 34 years ................................... 10.2 9.8 9.4 8.7 11.1 11.8

35 to 39 years ................................... 22.9 21.3 20.5 20.3 24.0 24.7

40 to 44 years ................................... 30.2 28.5 28.4 29.9 32.9 33.2

45 to 49 years ................................... 37.0 36.2 36.9 36.7 38.0 38.3

50 to 54 years ................................... 44.8 44.1 43.6 45.0 46.5 45.5

55 to 59 years ................................... 49.9 48.4 49.1 50.0 51.2 52.6

60 to 64 years ................................... 52.6 51.0 48.7 54.8 52.2 54.0

65 years and over ............................. 49.7 50.7 49.9 53.8 54.3 55.6

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 2012

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 ............. 125,516 100.0 21.1 6.3 4.9 16.6 21.8 12.5 6.1 10.6

16 to 19 years ......................... 3,925 100.0 72.9 11.9 6.9 7.8 .4 – – –

20 years and over ................... 121,591 100.0 19.5 6.1 4.8 16.9 22.4 12.9 6.3 11.0

 20 to 24 years ....................... 12,712 100.0 48.9 12.8 10.6 20.4 7.1 .2 – –

 25 to 34 years ....................... 28,381 100.0 25.5 8.4 6.9 24.5 27.2 6.8 .7 –

 35 to 44 years ....................... 27,477 100.0 16.1 5.4 4.3 16.8 27.0 17.8 8.8 3.8

 45 to 54 years ....................... 28,535 100.0 12.5 4.5 2.9 13.0 22.0 16.8 9.5 18.7

 55 to 64 years ....................... 19,339 100.0 9.4 2.8 2.3 10.8 20.2 16.4 9.8 28.3

 65 years and over ................. 5,148 100.0 7.8 2.0 2.1 11.8 20.7 16.6 9.2 29.7

Men

 16 years and over ............. 64,552 100.0 21.0 6.3 5.0 16.2 21.3 12.2 6.4 11.5

16 to 19 years ......................... 1,839 100.0 71.2 13.3 7.8 7.4 .4 – – –

20 years and over ................... 62,713 100.0 19.6 6.1 4.9 16.5 21.9 12.6 6.5 11.9

 20 to 24 years ....................... 6,559 100.0 48.8 12.5 10.4 20.6 7.4 .2 – –

 25 to 34 years ....................... 15,104 100.0 24.7 8.5 7.3 23.8 27.8 7.0 .9 –

 35 to 44 years ....................... 14,570 100.0 16.3 5.4 4.0 16.1 26.8 17.3 9.8 4.4

 45 to 54 years ....................... 14,361 100.0 12.6 4.5 2.8 12.5 19.6 16.6 10.0 21.4

 55 to 64 years ....................... 9,470 100.0 10.0 2.5 2.7 10.1 18.8 15.6 9.2 31.2

 65 years and over ................. 2,648 100.0 7.8 1.3 1.9 11.8 21.7 16.9 8.9 29.7

Women

 16 years and over ............. 60,964 100.0 21.3 6.3 4.8 17.1 22.2 12.7 5.9 9.7

16 to 19 years ......................... 2,085 100.0 74.4 10.7 6.2 8.2 .5 – – –

20 years and over ................... 58,879 100.0 19.4 6.2 4.7 17.4 23.0 13.2 6.1 10.1

 20 to 24 years ....................... 6,153 100.0 49.0 13.1 10.7 20.3 6.7 .2 – –

 25 to 34 years ....................... 13,276 100.0 26.5 8.4 6.4 25.3 26.5 6.5 .5 –

 35 to 44 years ....................... 12,907 100.0 15.9 5.4 4.6 17.5 27.4 18.4 7.7 3.1

 45 to 54 years ....................... 14,174 100.0 12.4 4.5 3.1 13.6 24.4 17.0 9.0 16.0

 55 to 64 years ....................... 9,868 100.0 8.8 3.2 1.9 11.6 21.4 17.2 10.5 25.5

 65 years and over ................. 2,499 100.0 7.7 2.8 2.4 11.9 19.7 16.3 9.6 29.7

White 

 16 years and over ............... 100,679 100.0 20.7 6.4 4.8 16.1 21.7 12.6 6.6 11.3

Men ......................................... 52,641 100.0 20.5 6.5 4.7 15.7 21.1 12.4 6.8 12.3

Women ................................... 48,039 100.0 20.9 6.3 4.8 16.4 22.2 12.9 6.3 10.2

Black or African American 

 16 years and over ............... 14,204 100.0 22.2 5.6 5.2 18.5 22.1 12.4 4.5 9.5

Men ......................................... 6,526 100.0 22.9 5.1 5.5 18.9 21.9 10.8 4.8 10.0

Women ................................... 7,678 100.0 21.6 6.0 5.0 18.2 22.2 13.8 4.2 9.1

Asian 

 16 years and over ............... 6,933 100.0 21.1 6.6 5.3 20.5 23.8 11.3 4.8 6.6

Men ......................................... 3,502 100.0 21.2 5.8 6.6 19.0 23.8 12.8 4.3 6.5

Women ................................... 3,432 100.0 21.0 7.3 4.0 22.1 23.9 9.8 5.2 6.7

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

 16 years and over ............... 19,763 100.0 23.6 5.9 6.6 20.1 23.7 10.9 4.2 5.1

Men ......................................... 11,262 100.0 24.5 6.0 6.8 20.8 22.4 10.0 4.3 5.2

Women ................................... 8,501 100.0 22.3 5.6 6.4 19.2 25.4 12.0 4.2 4.9

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 2012

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 ........................................................ 5.4 3.2 5.3 7.8 10.3 10.3

Less than a high school diploma ................ 4.8 3.2 4.6 5.3 8.0 9.8

High school graduates, no college ............. 5.8 3.3 5.0 8.5 10.3 10.2

Some college, no degree ............................ 5.2 3.1 5.1 7.4 10.3 10.2

Associate degree ........................................ 5.7 3.2 5.6 7.7 10.4 10.4

College graduates ...................................... 5.5 3.1 5.7 8.2 10.5 11.0

 Bachelor’s degree ..................................... 5.2 3.1 5.7 7.8 10.4 11.6

 Master’s degree ........................................ 6.3 3.4 6.0 8.6 10.4 10.2

 Doctoral or professional degree ............... 5.6 2.3 5.0 9.6 11.9 14.8

 Men ......................................................... 5.5 3.2 5.4 8.5 10.7 10.2

Less than a high school diploma ................ 4.7 3.4 4.8 5.4 8.2 10.5

High school graduates, no college ............. 5.7 3.3 5.1 9.6 10.6 9.7

Some college, no degree ............................ 5.3 3.1 5.2 8.6 10.2 9.8

Associate degree ........................................ 6.2 3.4 6.3 8.4 11.2 10.0

College graduates ...................................... 5.7 3.1 5.7 8.6 11.3 11.3

 Bachelor’s degree ..................................... 5.5 3.2 5.9 8.3 11.3 10.4

 Master’s degree ........................................ 6.4 3.3 5.8 8.9 10.5 9.9

 Doctoral or professional degree ............... 5.9 2.3 4.8 9.7 13.4 15.3

 Women ................................................... 5.4 3.1 5.2 7.3 10.0 10.5

Less than a high school diploma ................ 4.8 2.9 4.2 5.2 7.8 7.8

High school graduates, no college ............. 6.0 3.3 5.0 7.8 10.0 11.4

Some college, no degree ............................ 5.2 3.2 5.0 6.5 10.3 10.8

Associate degree ........................................ 5.3 3.1 5.1 7.2 9.8 11.3

College graduates ...................................... 5.3 3.1 5.7 7.9 10.2 10.7

 Bachelor’s degree ..................................... 5.0 3.0 5.6 7.4 10.1 12.3

 Master’s degree ........................................ 6.3 3.4 6.2 8.4 10.4 10.3

 Doctoral or professional degree ............... 5.2 2.4 5.4 9.4 10.3 10.0

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, 2002-2012

Industry January

2002

January

2004

January

2006

January

2008

January

2010

January

2012

 Total, 16 years and over ....................................................................... 3.7 4.0 4.0 4.1 4.4 4.6

Private sector .......................................................................................... 3.3 3.5 3.6 3.6 4.0 4.2

 Agriculture and related industries ......................................................... 4.2 3.7 3.8 4.3 4.8 4.1

 Nonagricultural industries ..................................................................... 3.3 3.5 3.6 3.6 4.0 4.2

 Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction ..................................... 4.5 5.2 3.8 4.1 4.8 3.5

 Construction ....................................................................................... 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.5 4.2 4.3

 Manufacturing ..................................................................................... 5.4 5.8 5.5 5.9 6.1 6.0

 Durable goods manufacturing .......................................................... 5.5 6.0 5.6 6.1 6.6 6.1

 Nonmetallic mineral products ......................................................... 5.3 4.8 5.0 4.8 7.7 7.0

 Primary metals and fabricated metal products ............................... 6.3 6.4 6.2 5.2 7.2 5.6

 Machinery manufacturing ............................................................... 6.8 6.4 6.6 6.0 8.3 5.4

 Computers and electronic products ................................................ 4.7 5.2 5.9 6.7 5.9 7.7

 Electrical equipment and appliances .............................................. 5.5 9.8 6.2 6.2 5.0 5.9

 Transportation equipment ............................................................... 7.0 7.7 7.2 7.8 8.3 7.1

 Wood products ............................................................................... 4.3 5.0 4.7 6.2 4.7 5.3

 Furniture and fixtures ...................................................................... 4.7 4.7 4.2 5.2 5.0 6.5

 Miscellaneous manufacturing ......................................................... 4.5 4.6 3.9 4.7 5.4 4.8

 Nondurable goods manufacturing .................................................... 5.3 5.5 5.4 5.4 5.5 5.8

 Food manufacturing ........................................................................ 5.0 4.9 5.2 4.3 4.7 4.9

 Beverage and tobacco products ..................................................... 4.6 8.0 5.4 6.9 8.1 6.4

 Textiles, apparel, and leather ......................................................... 5.0 5.0 4.4 4.6 4.7 4.3

 Paper and printing .......................................................................... 6.2 6.9 6.3 5.5 6.8 9.7

 Petroleum and coal products .......................................................... 9.8 11.4 5.0 4.3 5.1 6.4

 Chemicals ....................................................................................... 5.7 5.3 6.1 7.6 7.3 6.1

 Plastics and rubber products .......................................................... 5.3 5.7 5.0 5.3 7.4 6.1

 Wholesale and retail trade .................................................................. 2.8 3.1 3.1 3.2 3.6 3.7

 Wholesale trade ................................................................................ 3.9 4.3 4.6 5.0 5.2 5.5

 Retail trade ....................................................................................... 2.6 2.8 2.8 2.9 3.3 3.3

 Transportation and utilities ................................................................. 4.9 5.3 4.9 5.1 5.3 5.6

 Transportation and warehousing ...................................................... 4.3 4.7 4.3 4.6 5.0 5.3

 Utilities .............................................................................................. 13.4 13.3 10.4 10.1 9.1 9.5

 Information 1 ....................................................................................... 3.3 4.3 4.8 4.7 5.0 5.4

 Publishing, except Internet ............................................................... 4.8 4.7 5.3 4.7 5.6 6.6

 Motion pictures and sound recording industries ............................... 2.3 2.2 1.9 1.9 3.8 2.6

 Radio and television broadcasting and cable

 subscriptions programming 2 ..................................................... 3.1 4.0 4.6 3.4 4.3 4.9

 Telecommunications 2 ...................................................................... 3.4 4.6 5.3 6.9 6.6 7.4

 Financial activities .............................................................................. 3.6 3.9 4.0 4.5 4.6 4.9

 Finance and insurance ..................................................................... 3.9 4.1 4.1 4.7 4.8 5.0

 Finance ........................................................................................... 3.6 4.0 3.9 4.4 4.5 4.7

 Insurance ........................................................................................ 4.5 4.4 4.7 5.2 5.5 5.7

 Real estate and rental and leasing ................................................... 3.0 3.3 3.4 3.7 3.9 4.5

 Real estate ..................................................................................... 3.2 3.5 3.5 3.9 4.1 4.5

 Rental and leasing services ............................................................ 2.2 2.9 3.1 3.0 3.3 4.2

 Professional and business services ................................................... 2.7 3.2 3.2 3.1 3.4 3.8

 Professional and technical services ................................................. 3.1 3.6 3.8 3.3 4.0 4.4

 Management, administrative, and waste services 1 ......................... 2.1 2.6 2.5 2.5 2.9 3.1

 Administrative and support services ............................................... 1.9 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.8 3.0

 Waste management and remediation services .............................. 4.3 3.4 4.1 4.1 2.9 4.4

 Education and health services ............................................................ 3.5 3.6 4.0 4.1 4.1 4.4

 Educational services ......................................................................... 3.6 3.8 4.0 4.3 4.4 4.3

 Health care and social assistance .................................................... 3.5 3.6 4.1 4.1 4.1 4.4

 Hospitals ......................................................................................... 4.9 4.7 5.2 5.4 5.3 6.0

 Health services, except hospitals ................................................... 3.1 3.3 3.6 3.6 3.6 3.8

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

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, 2002-2012—Continued

Industry January

2002

January

2004

January

2006

January

2008

January

2010

January

2012

 Leisure and hospitality ........................................................................ 1.8 2.0 1.9 2.1 2.5 2.4

 Arts, entertainment, and recreation .................................................. 2.3 2.8 3.1 2.8 3.3 3.1

 Accommodation and food services ................................................... 1.6 1.9 1.6 1.9 2.3 2.3

 Accommodation .............................................................................. 2.7 3.1 2.5 3.1 3.3 3.8

 Food services and drinking places ................................................. 1.4 1.6 1.4 1.6 2.2 2.1

 Other services .................................................................................... 3.3 3.3 3.2 3.3 4.0 3.8

 Other services, except private households ....................................... 3.3 3.5 3.3 3.4 4.1 3.8

 Repair and maintenance ................................................................ 3.0 3.2 2.9 3.0 4.0 3.7

 Personal and laundry services ....................................................... 2.8 3.4 2.8 3.2 3.5 3.5

 Membership associations and organizations .................................. 4.1 3.9 4.2 4.4 4.5 4.3

 Other services, private households .................................................. 2.7 2.3 2.8 2.8 3.4 3.3

Public sector ........................................................................................... 6.7 6.9 6.9 7.2 7.2 7.8

 Federal government ............................................................................. 11.3 10.4 9.9 9.9 7.9 9.5

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

 Local government ................................................................................. 6.2 6.4 6.6 7.1 7.5 8.1

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, 2002-2012

Occupation January

2002

January

2004

January

2006

January

2008

January

2010

January

2012

 Total, 16 years and over ............................................................... 3.7 4.0 4.0 4.1 4.4 4.6

 Management, professional, and related occupations ...................... 4.6 5.0 5.2 5.1 5.2 5.5

 Management, business, and financial operations occupations ..... 5.2 5.5 5.5 5.4 5.4 5.9

 Management occupations .......................................................... 5.6 6.0 6.0 6.0 6.1 6.3

 Business and financial operations occupations .......................... 4.2 4.5 4.7 4.6 4.6 5.2

 Professional and related occupations ............................................ 4.2 4.7 5.0 4.9 5.0 5.4

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

 Architecture and engineering occupations ................................. 5.2 5.8 6.5 6.4 5.7 7.0

 Life, physical, and social science occupations ........................... 4.3 4.2 4.7 4.0 4.6 5.3

 Community and social services occupations .............................. 4.4 4.7 4.7 4.8 4.6 5.0

 Legal occupations ....................................................................... 4.5 4.1 5.0 4.3 4.6 5.4

 Education, training, and library occupations ............................... 4.8 5.1 5.3 5.4 5.6 5.9

 Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations ...... 3.0 3.6 3.6 3.4 3.9 4.2

 Healthcare practitioner and technical occupations ..................... 4.3 4.5 4.8 4.9 4.8 5.2

 Service occupations ........................................................................ 2.4 2.8 2.8 2.8 3.1 3.2

 Healthcare support occupations .................................................... 2.5 2.9 3.1 3.1 3.3 3.3

 Protective service occupations ...................................................... 5.4 5.5 5.5 5.9 5.0 6.4

 Food preparation and serving related occupations ....................... 1.5 1.8 1.8 2.0 2.3 2.3

 Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations ...... 3.0 3.3 3.7 3.6 4.1 4.0

 Personal care and service occupations ......................................... 2.3 2.7 2.4 2.6 2.9 3.0

 Sales and office occupations ........................................................... 3.2 3.4 3.4 3.5 4.1 4.2

 Sales and related occupations ...................................................... 2.7 2.8 2.8 2.9 3.4 3.4

 Office and administrative support occupations .............................. 3.6 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.7 4.8

 Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations ..... 3.7 3.7 3.5 4.0 4.7 4.7

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations .................................... 4.0 3.7 3.6 3.1 4.2 3.9

 Construction and extraction occupations ....................................... 3.2 3.2 3.0 3.5 4.1 4.3

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ........................ 4.6 4.7 4.6 5.0 5.7 5.3

 Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ......... 4.3 4.2 4.0 4.5 4.6 4.8

 Production occupations ................................................................. 5.2 5.0 4.8 5.0 5.3 5.3

 Transportation and material moving occupations .......................... 3.2 3.4 3.3 3.8 4.0 4.3

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.