Technical information:  (202) 691-6378     USDL 02-531
               http://www.bls.gov/cps/
                                           For release:  10:00 A.M. EDT
Media contact:                691-5902     Thursday, September 19, 2002
                                     
                                     
                          EMPLOYEE TENURE IN 2002
                                     
                                     
   The median number of years that wage and salary workers had been with
their current employer (referred to as employee tenure) was 3.7 years in
January 2002, according to data released today by the Bureau of Labor
Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor.  Since 1983, median employee
tenure has ranged from 3.4 to 3.8 years in the years when such information
was obtained.
   
   Information on employee tenure is obtained from supplemental questions
in the Current Population Survey (CPS).  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 pop-
ulation age 16 and over.  The supplemental questions about employee tenure 
have been essentially the same since 1983.  Prior to that year, the CPS ques-
tions on employee tenure were significantly different.  As a result, this re-
lease focuses only on comparable data from 1983 to 2002.  (See the Technical 
Note.)  Some highlights from the January 2002 survey follow:

   --Median years of tenure tend to increase with age.  For example, the 
     median tenure of older workers ages 55 to 64 was three and a half times 
     that of workers ages 25 to 34.

   --Thirty percent of workers age 25 and over had been with their current
     employer for 10 years or more at the time of the survey.  For workers 
     age 55 and over, half had such long tenure.

   --The share of employed persons who had been with their employer for 
     12 months or less declined with age.  Seventy percent of teenagers had 
     been with their employer for a year or less, compared with 10 percent 
     of persons age 55 and over.

   --The median years of tenure for workers in the public sector was twice
     that of workers in the private sector.  This is partly due to the rela-
     tively older age of the public-sector workforce.

   --Managerial and professional specialty workers had the highest tenure
     among the major occupational groups, while workers in service occupa-
     tions had the lowest median tenure.

Demographic characteristics

   In January 2002, the median tenure (the point at which half of the workers 
had more tenure and half had less tenure) was 3.9 years for men and 3.4 years 
for women.  Median tenure has been about one-half year higher for men than for 
women since 1996, compared with a difference of about one year in the prior 
survey years.  (See table 1.)
   
                                  - 2 -

   Among men, median tenure changed little from February 2000 (when data on
job tenure were last collected), but was slightly lower than in January
1983, despite an upward shift in the age of the male workforce.  As shown
below, the percentage of male wage and salary workers who were between the
ages of 35 and 54 increased from January 1983 to January 2002.  All else
held constant, this age shift would have been associated with an increase
in median tenure because, until retirement age, tenure tends to increase
with age.  However, median tenure declined for men in most age groups,
offsetting the aging effect.
   
   For women, median tenure also changed little from February 2000, though
it was higher than in January 1983.  Contributing to the increased tenure
was an upward shift in the age distribution of working women from 1983 to
2002.  In addition, there has been some increase in tenure between the two
time periods, particularly among women ages 40 to 49.  For example, the
proportion of women in this age group who had been with their employer for
10 years or more rose from 28 percent in 1983 to 33 percent in 2002.
   
Percent distribution of employed wage and salary workers by age and 
sex, January 1983 and January 2002
-------------------------------------------------------------------
                           |                   |
                           |        Men        |       Women
                           |                   |
           Age              ---------------------------------------
                           |         |         |         |
                           | January | January | January | January
                           |  1983   |  2002   |  1983   |  2002
                           |         |         |         |
---------------------------|---------|---------|---------|---------
                           |         |         |         |
 Total, 16 years and over..|  100.0  |  100.0  |  100.0  |  100.0
                           |         |         |         |
16 to 24 year..............|   20.0  |   15.2  |   22.5  |   15.8
25 to 34 year..............|   29.9  |   23.6  |   28.9  |   21.9   
35 to 44 year..............|   21.2  |   27.0  |   21.2  |   26.4   
45 to 54 year..............|   15.6  |   21.6  |   14.7  |   23.0   
55 to 64 year..............|   11.1  |   10.0  |   10.5  |   10.4   
65 years and over..........|    2.2  |    2.6  |    2.3  |    2.5   
-------------------------------------------------------------------                   
  Note:  Data exclude the incorporated and unincorporated self-employed.

   In January 2002, 33 percent of male wage and salary workers age 25 and
over had been with their current employer for 10 years or more, compared
with 29 percent of women.  The gap between men and women with such long
tenure is about the same as when the survey was conducted in 1998 and 2000;
however, it is about one-third lower than in 1983.  (See table 2. Workers 
ages 16 to 24 are excluded from table 2 because few of these young workers 
could have been with their current employer for 10 years or more.)
   
   Larger proportions of whites and blacks than of Hispanics had 10 or more
years of tenure with their current employer.  In January 2002, 22 percent
of Hispanics (age 25 and over) had been with their current employer for 10
years or more, compared with 29 percent of blacks and 32 percent of whites.
This discrepancy can be explained, in part, by the relative youth of the
Hispanic workforce.  For example, among persons age 25 and over, nearly two-
fifths of employed Hispanics were between the ages of 25 and 34, compared
with about one-fourth of employed whites and blacks.  Moreover, about 1 in
10 employed Hispanics age 35 and over--the group more likely to have 10 or
more years of tenure--had not been in the United States for 10 years at the
time of the survey.
   
                                  - 3 -

   In January 2002, 25 percent of wage and salary workers age 16 and over
had been with their current employer for 12 months or less, down slightly
from 27 percent in February 2000.  This group includes new entrants and
reentrants to the workforce, job losers who found new jobs during the
previous year, and workers who had voluntarily changed employers during 
the previous year.  Young workers are more likely to have shorter tenure 
than older workers.  For example, 72 percent of 16- to 19-year-olds and 
51 percent of 20- to 24-year-olds had tenure of 12 months or less with 
their current employer; this compares with 11 percent of workers ages 
55 to 64.
   
Industry
   
   In January 2002, nonagricultural wage and salary workers in government
had double the tenure of their counterparts in private industries, 6.7 and
3.3 years, respectively.  (See table 5.)  Differing age distributions can
explain part of the gap in tenure, as government workers tend to be older
than workers in private industries.  For example, 74 percent of government
workers were age 35 and over, compared with 61 percent of private wage and
salary workers.
   
   Within the private sector, manufacturing workers had the highest median
tenure (5.5 years) of the major industry groups.  Within manufacturing,
industries with particularly high employee tenure included petroleum and
coal products (10.2 years), primary metal industries (7.6 years), paper 
and allied products (7.4 years), and transportation equipment (7.0 years).
Across the major industries, median tenure was lowest among workers in
retail trade, at 2.2 years.  Once again, age distributions affect overall
median tenure.  For example, workers in manufacturing tend to be older than
those in retail trade.
   
Occupation
   
   Managerial and professional specialty workers had the highest median
tenure (4.8 years) among the major occupational groups.  (See table 6.)
Within this group, officials and administrators in public administration
had a notably high median tenure of 11.3 years.  Workers in service occu-
pations had the lowest median tenure, 2.4 years.  Within services, food
service workers had the lowest median tenure (1.4 years), while protective
service workers had the highest (5.1 years).  Workers in service occupations 
tend to be younger than persons employed in managerial and professional 
specialty occupations.
   
   
 
 

Technical Note


   The data in this release were collected through a supplement to the
January 2002 Current Population Survey (CPS), the monthly survey of about
60,000 households that provides information on the labor force status,
demographics, and other characteristics of the nation's civilian noninsti-
tutional population age 16 and over.  The CPS is conducted by the U.S. 
Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
   
   The January 2002 CPS supplement obtained information on worker displace-
ment and on workers' tenure with their current employer.  The data on worker 
displacement appear in the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) news release 
USDL 02-483, "Worker Displacement, 1999-2001," issued on August 21, 2002.
   
   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 nonsam-
pling error.  When a sample, rather than the entire population, is surveyed,
there is a chance that the sample estimates may differ from the "true" popu-
lation 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 infor-
mation, 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 Notes 
and Estimates of Error" section of Employment and Earnings.
   
Tenure questions and concepts
   
   In the January 2002 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 asked:
"Could you please give the exact number of months?"
   
   The purpose of the follow-up question was to obtain more precise infor-
mation on workers who had been with their current employer 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 supple-
ments 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 sala6ry 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, de-
pending 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 em-
ployer.  The change resulted in a break in historical comparability, and,
for this reason, estimates of tenure are not presented in this release for
years prior to 1983.
   
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 en-
trants to the workforce and experienced workers have more opportunities to 
change employers and take better jobs.  Tenure also could rise under improv-
ing economic conditions, however, as fewer layoffs occur and good job matches 
develop between workers and employers.
 
 
 
 

     Table 1.  Median years of tenure with current employer for employed wage and salary workers by age and sex,
     selected years, 1983-2002
                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                        
                      Age and sex                   January   January   January   February  February  February  January 
                                                      1983      1987      1991      1996      1998      2000      2002  
                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                        
                         TOTAL                                                                                          
                                                                                                                        
           16 years and over......................     3.5       3.4       3.6       3.8       3.6       3.5       3.7  
     16 to 17 years...............................      .7        .6        .7        .7        .6        .6        .7  
     18 to 19 years...............................      .8        .7        .8        .7        .7        .7        .7  
     20 to 24 years...............................     1.5       1.3       1.3       1.2       1.1       1.1       1.2  
     25 years and over............................     5.0       5.0       4.8       5.0       4.7       4.7       4.7  
       25 to 34 years.............................     3.0       2.9       2.9       2.8       2.7       2.6       2.7  
       35 to 44 years.............................     5.2       5.5       5.4       5.3       5.0       4.8       4.6  
       45 to 54 years.............................     9.5       8.8       8.9       8.3       8.1       8.2       7.6  
       55 to 64 years.............................    12.2      11.6      11.1      10.2      10.1      10.0       9.9  
       65 years and over..........................     9.6       9.5       8.1       8.4       7.8       9.5       8.7  
                                                                                                                        
                          Men                                                                                           
                                                                                                                        
           16 years and over......................     4.1       4.0       4.1       4.0       3.8       3.8       3.9  
     16 to 17 years...............................      .7        .6        .7        .6        .6        .6        .8  
     18 to 19 years...............................      .8        .7        .8        .7        .7        .7        .7  
     20 to 24 years...............................     1.5       1.3       1.4       1.2       1.2       1.2       1.3  
     25 years and over............................     5.9       5.7       5.4       5.3       4.9       5.0       4.9  
       25 to 34 years.............................     3.2       3.1       3.1       3.0       2.8       2.7       2.9  
       35 to 44 years.............................     7.3       7.0       6.5       6.1       5.5       5.4       5.1  
       45 to 54 years.............................    12.8      11.8      11.2      10.1       9.4       9.5       9.1  
       55 to 64 years.............................    15.3      14.5      13.4      10.5      11.2      10.2      10.2  
       65 years and over..........................     8.3       8.3       7.0       8.3       7.1       9.1       8.1  
                                                                                                                        
                         Women                                                                                          
                                                                                                                        
           16 years and over......................     3.1       3.0       3.2       3.5       3.4       3.3       3.4  
     16 to 17 years...............................      .7        .6        .7        .7        .7        .6        .7  
     18 to 19 years...............................      .8        .7        .8        .7        .7        .7        .7  
     20 to 24 years...............................     1.5       1.3       1.3       1.2       1.1       1.0       1.1  
     25 years and over............................     4.2       4.3       4.3       4.7       4.4       4.4       4.4  
       25 to 34 years.............................     2.8       2.6       2.7       2.7       2.5       2.5       2.5  
       35 to 44 years.............................     4.1       4.4       4.5       4.8       4.5       4.3       4.3  
       45 to 54 years.............................     6.3       6.8       6.7       7.0       7.2       7.3       6.5  
       55 to 64 years.............................     9.8       9.7       9.9      10.0       9.6       9.9       9.6  
       65 years and over..........................    10.1       9.9       9.5       8.4       8.7       9.7       9.5  

         NOTE:  Data for 1996, 1998, 2000, and 2002 are not strictly comparable with data for 1991 and earlier years
     because population controls from the 1990 census, adjusted for the estimated undercount, are used beginning in
     1996.  Figures for the 1983-91 period are based on population controls from the 1980 census.  Also, beginning in
     1996, the figures incorporate the effects of the redesign of the Current Population Survey introduced in January
     1994.  Data exclude the incorporated and unincorporated self-employed.




     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, 1983-2002
                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                        
                      Age and sex                   January   January   January   February  February  February  January 
                                                      1983      1987      1991      1996      1998      2000      2002  
                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                        
                         TOTAL                                                                                          
                                                                                                                        
            25 years and over.....................    31.9      30.7      32.2      30.5      30.7      31.7      31.0  
     25 to 29 years...............................     3.3       4.1       5.1       2.8       2.7       2.5       2.2  
     30 to 34 years...............................    16.9      16.9      19.3      14.7      14.7      14.0      11.8  
     35 to 39 years...............................    29.9      29.6      31.1      26.9      27.0      26.2      25.3  
     40 to 44 years...............................    38.1      38.7      39.3      36.1      35.6      35.9      34.1  
     45 to 49 years...............................    46.5      45.2      46.5      44.5      42.9      45.3      41.4  
     50 to 54 years...............................    53.5      51.8      51.4      50.4      48.8      48.6      49.2  
     55 to 59 years...............................    59.3      57.6      56.7      54.0      52.9      53.1      53.2  
     60 to 64 years...............................    59.8      55.9      55.4      51.5      54.4      53.2      50.3  
     65 years and over............................    50.9      50.1      46.3      47.4      45.0      50.0      48.1  
                                                                                                                        
                          Men                                                                                           
                                                                                                                        
            25 years and over.....................    37.7      35.0      35.9      33.1      32.7      33.6      33.0  
     25 to 29 years...............................     4.0       4.5       5.7       3.3       3.1       3.0       2.6  
     30 to 34 years...............................    18.7      18.7      21.1      15.6      15.3      15.3      13.1  
     35 to 39 years...............................    36.9      34.8      35.6      30.5      29.7      29.5      27.3  
     40 to 44 years...............................    51.1      48.5      46.3      41.7      39.1      40.4      37.7  
     45 to 49 years...............................    57.8      53.0      53.5      50.8      47.4      49.0      45.7  
     50 to 54 years...............................    62.3      59.4      58.5      54.9      52.8      51.6      53.8  
     55 to 59 years...............................    66.2      63.2      61.0      55.7      56.5      53.7      56.4  
     60 to 64 years...............................    65.6      58.7      57.5      50.4      55.7      52.5      48.3  
     65 years and over............................    47.6      47.4      42.6      47.6      42.3      48.9      46.4  
                                                                                                                        
                         Women                                                                                          
                                                                                                                        
            25 years and over.....................    24.9      25.7      28.2      27.6      28.4      29.5      28.8  
     25 to 29 years...............................     2.5       3.6       4.4       2.2       2.2       1.9       1.8  
     30 to 34 years...............................    14.8      14.7      17.3      13.6      14.0      12.6      10.2  
     35 to 39 years...............................    21.6      23.8      26.1      22.9      24.0      22.4      23.0  
     40 to 44 years...............................    23.4      27.9      32.0      30.4      31.8      31.4      30.2  
     45 to 49 years...............................    33.0      36.4      39.3      38.1      38.4      41.5      37.1  
     50 to 54 years...............................    42.5      43.0      43.4      45.8      44.6      45.6      44.6  
     55 to 59 years...............................    51.0      50.8      51.4      52.1      49.2      52.5      49.9  
     60 to 64 years...............................    52.6      52.4      53.1      52.7      53.0      54.0      52.3  
     65 years and over............................    54.5      53.1      49.9      47.2      47.7      51.2      50.0  

         NOTE:  Data for 1996, 1998, 2000, and 2002 are not strictly comparable with data for 1991 and earlier years
     because population controls from the 1990 census, adjusted for the estimated undercount, are used beginning in
     1996.  Figures for the 1983-91 period are based on population controls from the 1980 census.  Also, beginning in
     1996, the figures incorporate the effects of the redesign of the Current Population Survey introduced in January
     1994.  Data exclude the incorporated and unincorporated self-employed.


   Table 3.  Distribution of employed wage and salary workers by tenure with current employer, age, sex, race, and
   Hispanic origin, January 2002
                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                   
                                                      Percent distribution by tenure with current employer         
                                 Number                                                                            
     Age, sex, race, and        employed                                                                           
        Hispanic origin      (in thousands)            12    13 to           3 to 4  5 to 9  10 to   15 to     20  
                                             Total   months    23   2 years  years   years     14      19    years 
                                                    or less  months                          years   years  or more
                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                   
             TOTAL                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                   
          16 years and over.    118,424      100.0    24.5     8.4     5.8    17.3    17.7    10.4     6.0     9.8 
   16 to 19 years...........      5,904      100.0    71.5    12.6     7.8     7.5      .5     -       -       -   
   20 years and over........    112,520      100.0    22.1     8.2     5.7    17.9    18.6    10.9     6.3    10.3 
   20 to 24 years...........     12,414      100.0    51.4    14.6     9.2    19.2     5.6    (1)      -       -   
   25 to 34 years...........     26,959      100.0    28.9    11.0     7.5    23.3    22.0     6.5      .8    (1)  
   35 to 44 years...........     31,648      100.0    17.9     7.3     5.3    18.4    21.3    14.7     9.3     5.8 
   45 to 54 years...........     26,422      100.0    12.9     5.5     3.7    14.2    18.8    13.8     9.5    21.6 
   55 to 64 years...........     12,104      100.0    10.7     4.6     3.3    12.0    17.1    15.2     9.7    27.4 
   65 years and over........      2,973      100.0     9.9     4.1     4.5    13.4    19.8    13.9     8.6    25.6 
                                                                                                                   
              Men                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                   
          16 years and over.     61,023      100.0    23.5     8.1     5.6    17.0    17.7    10.4     6.3    11.3 
   16 to 19 years...........      2,879      100.0    72.2    12.9     7.0     7.4      .4     -       -       -   
   20 years and over........     58,144      100.0    21.1     7.9     5.6    17.5    18.6    10.9     6.6    11.8 
   20 to 24 years...........      6,368      100.0    49.4    13.9     9.2    21.0     6.4      .1     -       -   
   25 to 34 years...........     14,408      100.0    27.2    10.5     7.4    23.2    23.5     7.2      .9    (1)  
   35 to 44 years...........     16,491      100.0    16.9     6.8     5.1    17.3    21.4    15.6    10.3     6.6 
   45 to 54 years...........     13,201      100.0    12.1     5.4     3.5    12.7    17.0    13.0    10.1    26.2 
   55 to 64 years...........      6,118      100.0    10.9     4.8     3.3    12.0    15.3    13.4     9.0    31.4 
   65 years and over........      1,558      100.0    10.0     4.1     5.2    14.1    20.2    12.3     8.3    25.8 
                                                                                                                   
             Women                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                   
          16 years and over.     57,401      100.0    25.6     8.7     5.9    17.7    17.7    10.4     5.7     8.3 
   16 to 19 years...........      3,025      100.0    71.0    12.3     8.6     7.6      .5     -       -       -   
   20 years and over........     54,376      100.0    23.1     8.5     5.8    18.3    18.7    10.9     6.0     8.7 
   20 to 24 years...........      6,045      100.0    53.4    15.4     9.2    17.4     4.6    (1)      -       -   
   25 to 34 years...........     12,551      100.0    30.8    11.6     7.7    23.4    20.3     5.6      .6     -   
   35 to 44 years...........     15,157      100.0    19.0     7.8     5.6    19.6    21.2    13.7     8.2     4.8 
   45 to 54 years...........     13,221      100.0    13.8     5.5     4.0    15.7    20.5    14.6     8.9    17.0 
   55 to 64 years...........      5,986      100.0    10.5     4.5     3.3    11.9    19.0    17.0    10.4    23.4 
   65 years and over........      1,415      100.0     9.8     4.2     3.8    12.6    19.5    15.7     8.9    25.4 
                                                                                                                   
             White                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                   
       16 years and over....     98,670      100.0    24.4     8.4     5.6    17.1    17.8    10.5     6.2    10.1 
   Men......................     51,473      100.0    23.3     8.0     5.4    16.8    17.8    10.4     6.5    11.9 
   Women....................     47,197      100.0    25.5     9.0     5.9    17.3    17.8    10.5     5.9     8.2 
                                                                                                                   
             Black                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                   
       16 years and over....     14,143      100.0    25.4     7.5     6.6    18.0    17.9     9.6     5.6     9.5 
   Men......................      6,567      100.0    24.5     8.2     7.0    16.5    18.2     9.8     6.3     9.4 
   Women....................      7,577      100.0    26.3     6.8     6.2    19.2    17.7     9.4     4.9     9.5 
                                                                                                                   
        Hispanic origin                                                                                            
                                                                                                                   
       16 years and over....     13,776      100.0    29.4     8.5     7.7    19.2    17.7     8.4     4.0     5.1 
   Men......................      7,807      100.0    28.5     7.6     8.2    19.7    17.9     8.6     4.1     5.5 
   Women....................      5,968      100.0    30.5     9.7     7.1    18.6    17.5     8.2     3.8     4.5 

     1 Less than 0.05 percent.
     NOTE:  Detail for the above race and Hispanic-origin groups will not sum to totals because data for the
   "other races" groups are not presented and Hispanics are included in both the white and black population
   groups.  Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.  Data exclude the incorporated and unincorporated
   self-employed.  Dash represents 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 2002
                                                                                                          
                                                                                                          
                                                                 25 years and over                        
                                                                                                          
       Educational attainment and sex                                                                     
                                            Total    25 to 34   35 to 44   45 to 54   55 to 64   65 years 
                                                       years      years      years      years    and over 
                                                                                                          
                                                                                                          
         Total..........................     4.7        2.7        4.6        7.6        9.9        8.7   
     Less than a high school diploma....     3.9        2.3        3.5        5.2        8.4        7.4   
     High school graduates, no college..     5.1        2.9        4.9        7.8       10.1        8.5   
     Some college, no degree............     4.6        2.6        4.6        7.8        9.5        8.4   
     Associate degree...................     4.6        2.9        4.5        6.7        8.1        8.0   
     College graduates..................     4.7        2.6        4.9        8.4       10.7        9.6   
       Bachelor's degree................     4.4        2.7        5.1        7.7        9.8        8.0   
       Master's degree..................     5.6        2.7        4.9        9.6       11.8        9.1   
       Doctoral or professional degree..     4.8        1.9        3.8        8.6       13.6       15.9   
                                                                                                          
         Men............................     4.9        2.9        5.1        9.1       10.2        8.1   
     Less than a high school diploma....     4.1        2.5        4.0        5.8        8.7        5.8   
     High school graduates, no college..     5.3        3.1        5.3        9.8       11.7        7.7   
     Some college, no degree............     4.8        2.8        5.1        9.9        9.4        8.0   
     Associate degree...................     4.9        3.1        5.4        8.6        7.6        7.2   
     College graduates..................     5.0        2.8        5.1        9.3       11.4        9.8   
       Bachelor's degree................     4.8        2.8        5.4        8.6       10.2        7.9   
       Master's degree..................     5.6        2.9        5.0        9.9       10.7        9.7   
       Doctoral or professional degree..     5.8        1.9        3.7        9.2       15.4       15.9   
                                                                                                          
         Women..........................     4.4        2.5        4.3        6.5        9.6        9.5   
     Less than a high school diploma....     3.5        1.8        3.0        4.8        7.9       10.2   
     High school graduates, no college..     4.9        2.7        4.4        6.6        9.6        9.3   
     Some college, no degree............     4.3        2.5        4.2        6.3        9.6        8.7   
     Associate degree...................     4.3        2.8        4.0        5.8        8.4        9.7   
     College graduates..................     4.3        2.5        4.6        7.7       10.3        8.9   
       Bachelor's degree................     4.0        2.5        4.6        6.5        9.2        8.6   
       Master's degree..................     5.5        2.5        4.9        9.4       12.7        7.4   
       Doctoral or professional degree..     4.0        1.8        4.0        7.3        8.3       15.7   

         NOTE:  Data exclude the incorporated and unincorporated self-employed.




     Table 5.  Median years of tenure with current employer for employed wage and salary workers by industry, selected years,
     1983-2002
                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                             
                             Industry                           January  January  January February February February  January
                                                                 1983     1987     1991     1996     1998     2000     2002  
                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                             
        Total, 16 years and over..............................    3.5      3.4      3.6      3.8      3.6      3.5      3.7  
                                                                                                                             
     Agriculture..............................................    2.2      2.4      2.6      3.4      2.9      3.1      3.4  
     Nonagricultural industries...............................    3.6      3.4      3.6      3.8      3.6      3.5      3.7  
       Government.............................................    5.8      6.5      6.5      6.9      7.3      7.2      6.7  
       Private industries.....................................    3.2      3.0      3.2      3.3      3.2      3.2      3.3  
         Mining...............................................    3.4      6.1      5.8      6.1      5.6      6.5      4.6  
         Construction.........................................    2.0      2.0      2.6      2.9      2.7      2.8      3.0  
                                                                                                                             
         Manufacturing........................................    5.4      5.5      5.2      5.4      4.9      5.0      5.5  
           Durable goods(1)...................................    5.6      6.0      5.8      5.3      4.9      4.9      5.5  
             Lumber and wood products.........................    4.0      3.2      3.6      3.3      3.8      4.0      3.5  
             Furniture and fixtures...........................    4.2      3.2      4.0      4.2      3.9      4.1      5.3  
             Stone, clay, and glass products..................    7.0      6.8      6.3      5.1      6.1      5.4      5.9  
             Primary metal industries.........................   10.0     10.2      9.7      8.1      8.0      7.0      7.6  
             Fabricated metal products........................    5.7      5.5      5.5      5.1      4.0      4.7      5.5  
             Machinery and computing equipment................    5.8      6.7      5.9      5.2      4.4      4.5      5.5  
             Electrical machinery, equipment, and supplies....    4.7      4.8      5.5      4.9      5.0      4.7      4.9  
             Transportation equipment(1)......................    8.8      8.0      7.6      8.3      7.8      6.4      7.0  
               Motor vehicles and equipment...................   13.0     11.2     11.7      7.8      6.4      5.8      7.0  
               Aircraft and parts.............................    6.4      6.8      6.3      9.8      9.6      9.7      8.3  
             Professional and photographic equipment and                                                                     
              watches.........................................    4.7      5.9      5.1      5.1      5.5      5.2      4.5  
             Toys, amusements, and sporting goods.............    3.6      5.8      3.2      2.7      3.6      3.7      5.6  
                                                                                                                             
           Nondurable goods(1)................................    5.1      4.9      4.7      5.4      4.9      5.1      5.5  
             Food and kindred products........................    5.2      4.4      4.2      5.1      5.1      5.0      5.1  
             Textile mill products............................    7.0      7.0      5.6      5.4      6.7      7.4      5.1  
             Apparel and other finished textile products......    3.8      3.2      3.8      3.8      3.8      3.3      4.8  
             Paper and allied products........................    7.6      8.6      7.6      8.4      7.5      6.1      7.4  
             Printing and publishing..........................    3.2      3.2      3.5      4.3      4.0      4.4      5.1  
             Chemicals and allied products....................    7.0      7.2      5.7      6.9      5.4      5.8      6.3  
             Petroleum and coal products......................    6.0     11.7      8.4     10.3      9.4      7.5     10.2  
             Rubber and miscellaneous plastics products.......    5.4      4.4      4.7      4.7      4.6      4.9      6.4  
                                                                                                                             
         Transportation and public utilities..................    5.8      5.7      5.8      5.2      4.8      4.4      4.4  
           Transportation.....................................    4.6      3.9      4.2      4.1      3.8      3.9      4.3  
           Communications and other public utilities..........    8.3      8.4      9.9      8.2      8.2      5.2      4.7  
                                                                                                                             
         Wholesale trade......................................    3.8      3.7      3.4      3.9      4.1      3.9      3.9  
         Retail trade.........................................    1.9      1.8      1.9      1.9      1.8      2.0      2.2  
                                                                                                                             
         Finance, insurance, and real estate..................    3.2      3.0      3.4      4.1      3.5      3.6      3.6  
           Banking and other finance..........................    3.3      3.1      3.6      3.9      3.7      3.3      3.5  
           Insurance and real estate..........................    3.0      2.9      3.2      4.2      3.4      3.9      3.8  
                                                                                                                             
         Services(1)..........................................    2.5      2.5      2.7      3.0      2.9      2.9      3.1  
           Private households.................................    1.8      1.7      1.9      2.3      2.3      2.9      2.8  
           Services, except private households................    2.5      2.5      2.7      3.0      2.9      2.9      3.1  
             Business services................................    1.5      1.6      1.8      2.0      1.9     r1.8      2.2  
             Automobile and repair services...................    2.3      2.0      2.2      2.9      2.4      2.7      3.0  
             Personal services, except private households.....    2.0      2.0      2.1      2.3      2.3      2.7      2.8  
             Entertainment and recreation services............    1.8      1.8      2.3      1.9      1.9      2.3      2.1  
             Hospitals........................................    3.5      4.6      4.2      5.2      5.2      5.2      4.8  
             Health services, except hospitals................    2.5      2.4      2.7      2.9      2.9      3.2      3.0  
             Educational services.............................    2.7      3.1      3.5      3.8      3.5      3.3      3.6  
             Social services..................................    2.2      2.3      2.3      2.8      2.7      2.6      2.7  
             Other professional services......................    2.9      2.8      3.3      3.5      3.3     r3.2      3.5  

       1 Includes other industries, not shown separately.
       r =revised.
       NOTE:  Data for 1996, 1998, 2000, and 2002 are not strictly comparable with data for 1991 and earlier years because
     population controls from the 1990 census, adjusted for the estimated undercount, are used beginning in 1996.  Figures
     for the 1983-91 period are based on population controls from the 1980 census.  Also, beginning in 1996, the figures
     incorporate the effects of the redesign of the Current Population Survey introduced in January 1994.  Data exclude the
     incorporated and unincorporated self-employed.




     Table 6.  Median years of tenure with current employer for employed wage and salary workers by occupation, selected
     years, 1983-2002
                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                             
                            Occupation                          January  January  January February February February  January
                                                                 1983     1987     1991     1996     1998     2000     2002  
                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                             
         Total, 16 years and over.............................    3.5      3.4      3.6      3.8      3.6      3.5      3.7  
                                                                                                                             
     Managerial and professional specialty....................    4.8      5.0      5.2      5.1      4.8      4.8      4.8  
       Executive, administrative, and managerial..............    5.3      5.1      5.5      5.5      5.3      5.0      5.3  
         Officials and administrators, public administration..    8.4      9.7     10.7     10.4     12.3     12.0     11.3  
         Other executive, administrative, and managerial......    5.3      5.2      5.7      5.6      5.5      5.2      5.4  
         Management-related occupations.......................    4.8      4.2      4.7      4.8      4.1      3.9      4.3  
       Professional specialty.................................    4.5      5.0      4.9      4.8      4.4      4.6      4.3  
         Engineers............................................    6.3      6.1      6.7      6.6      5.3      4.8      4.8  
         Mathematical and computer scientists.................    3.8      5.0      4.2      4.5      3.3      3.3      3.3  
         Natural scientists...................................    4.7      6.0      5.6      4.4      5.0      5.2      4.6  
         Health diagnosing occupations........................    2.8      2.5      3.0      3.3      3.2      3.4      4.1  
         Health assessment and treating occupations...........    3.6      4.1      4.2      4.9      4.6      5.3      4.6  
         Teachers, college and university.....................    4.4      7.2      5.5      4.4      4.2      4.7      3.8  
         Teachers, except college and university..............    6.0      7.0      6.7      5.8      5.9      5.6      5.0  
         Lawyers and judges...................................    3.2      3.3      3.4      4.3      4.3      3.8      4.7  
         Other professional specialty occupations.............    3.4      3.5      3.6      3.9      3.6      3.9      3.9  
                                                                                                                             
     Technical, sales, and administrative support.............    3.1      2.9      3.2      3.4      3.2      3.1      3.2  
       Technicians and related support........................    3.3      3.8      3.8      4.7      4.3      3.8      3.7  
         Health technologists and technicians.................    3.3      4.4      3.5      4.5      4.5      3.8      3.6  
         Engineering and science technicians..................    3.9      4.7      4.0      5.5      4.0      4.1      4.0  
         Technicians, except health, engineering, and science.    2.7      2.9      3.9      4.4      4.1      3.4      3.7  
       Sales occupations......................................    2.3      2.3      2.4      2.5      2.4      2.7      2.7  
         Supervisors and proprietors..........................    4.4      4.4      4.9      4.8      4.8      4.7      4.6  
         Sales representatives, finance and business services.    2.6      2.4      2.7      3.3      2.7      2.8      3.1  
         Sales representatives, commodities, except retail....    3.7      3.9      3.4      3.8      4.1      4.3      4.1  
         Sales workers, retail and personal services..........    1.6      1.4      1.4      1.3      1.2      1.4      1.5  
         Sales-related occupations............................    1.7      2.4      3.8      1.5      2.4      3.7      2.3  
       Administrative support, including clerical.............    3.5      3.3      3.6      4.0      3.6      3.4      3.6  
         Supervisors..........................................    7.6      8.9      8.4      9.4      8.2      7.6      7.5  
         Computer equipment operators.........................    3.2      3.0      3.8      4.8      4.1      2.9      3.4  
         Secretaries, stenographers, and typists..............    3.2      3.0      3.4      4.4      4.1      4.4      4.3  
         Financial records processing.........................    4.0      3.6      4.0      4.2      4.2      4.1      4.2  
         Mail and message distributing........................    6.1      4.6      5.9      7.3      7.6      9.4      9.9  
         Other administrative support, including clerical.....    3.2      3.0      3.1      3.4      3.1      2.8      3.0  
                                                                                                                             
     Service occupations......................................    2.2      2.0      2.3      2.4      2.4      2.5      2.4  
       Private household......................................    1.9      1.9      2.2      2.2      2.3      2.8      2.9  
       Protective service.....................................    4.6      5.0      4.4      5.2      5.4      5.7      5.1  
       Service, except private household and protective.......    2.0      1.8      2.0      2.1      2.1      2.2      2.1  
         Food service.........................................    1.5      1.3      1.4      1.3      1.3      1.5      1.4  
         Health service.......................................    2.6      2.2      2.4      2.8      2.8      3.1      2.4  
         Cleaning and building service........................    3.0      2.7      3.0      3.0      3.1      3.2      3.1  
         Personal service.....................................    1.9      1.9      2.1      2.2      2.2      2.3      2.4  
                                                                                                                             
     Precision production, craft, and repair..................    4.8      4.7      4.8      4.9      4.6      4.3      4.4  
         Mechanics and repairers..............................    5.2      5.8      5.0      5.3      4.9      4.7      4.6  
         Construction trades..................................    3.2      2.6      3.2      3.5      3.4      3.1      3.3  
         Other precision production, craft, and repair........    6.0      6.2      6.4      6.3      6.1      5.4      6.7  
                                                                                                                             
     Operators, fabricators, and laborers.....................    3.9      3.4      3.5      3.2      3.2      3.2      3.5  
       Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors..........    4.8      4.3      4.4      4.1      3.9      4.0      4.9  
       Transportation and material moving occupations.........    4.4      4.1      3.9      3.9      3.8      3.7      3.6  
         Motor vehicle operators..............................    3.5      3.2      3.2      3.4      3.4      3.5      3.4  
         Other transportation and material moving occupations.    6.8      7.2      6.3      5.4      4.8      4.8      4.6  
       Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers....    2.1      2.0      2.2      1.9      1.9      2.0      2.4  
         Construction laborers................................    2.0      1.3      2.4      2.2      1.6      2.6      2.3  
         Other handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and                                                                    
          laborers............................................    2.2      2.2      2.1      1.8      1.9      1.9      2.4  
                                                                                                                             
     Farming, forestry, and fishing...........................    2.3      2.4      2.7      3.7      2.8      3.1      3.1  
       Farm operators and managers............................    3.9      5.0      4.8      6.2      4.7      3.9      5.5  
       Other farming, forestry, and fishing occupations.......    2.3      2.3      2.6      3.6      2.8      3.1      3.0  

         NOTE:  Data for 1996, 1998, 2000, and 2002 are not strictly comparable with data for 1991 and earlier years because
     population controls from the 1990 census, adjusted for the estimated undercount, are used beginning in 1996.  Figures
     for the 1983-91 period are based on population controls from the 1980 census.  Also, beginning in 1996, the figures
     incorporate the effects of the redesign of the Current Population Survey introduced in January 1994.  Data exclude the
     incorporated and unincorporated self-employed.