Attachment C2 - Tenure News Release

1

Technical information:

Media contact:

(202) 691-6378
http://www.bls.gov/cps/
691-5902

USDL 06-1563
For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT
Friday, September 8, 2006

EMPLOYEE TENURE IN 2006
The median number of years that wage and salary workers had been with their current employer was
4.0 years in January 2006, unchanged from January 2004, according to the data released today by the
Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor.
Information on employee tenure has been obtained from supplemental questions in the Current Population
Survey (CPS) every 2 years since 1996. The CPS is a monthly survey of about 60,000 households that
provides information on the labor force status, demographics, and other characteristics of the civilian noninstitutional population age 16 and over. The questions about employee tenure measure how long workers had
been with their current employer at the time they were surveyed. A number of factors can affect the median
tenure of the workforce, including changes in the age profile among workers as well as changes in the number
of hires and separations. (See the Technical Note.)
Demographic Characteristics
In January 2006, median tenure for men was 4.1 years, little different than that of women (3.9 years).
From 1996 to 2002, the median tenure for men was about 0.5 year higher than for women. (See table 1.)
Older workers tend to have more years of tenure than their younger counterparts. For example, median
tenure (the point at which half of all workers had more tenure and half had less tenure) for employees ages
55 to 64 was 9.3 years in January 2006, about three times the tenure for workers ages 25 to 34 (2.9 years).
As would be expected, a larger percentage of older workers than younger workers had 10 or more
years of tenure. For example, among wage and salary workers ages 55 to 59, about half were employed
for 10 years or more with their current employer. Among workers ages 30 to 34, about 11 percent have
10 or more years of tenure; for workers ages 25 to 29, the proportion was about 2 percent. (See table 2.)
The proportion of all wage and salary workers age 16 and over with at least 10 years of tenure with
their current employer, at 26 percent in January 2006, was little changed from January 2004. Among men,
27 percent had at least 10 years of tenure with their current employer in January 2006 compared with 25
percent among women. (See table 3.)
In January 2006, 16 percent of Hispanic wage and salary workers (age 16 years and over) had been
with their current employer for 10 or more years compared with 26 percent of white, 23 percent of black,

2

and 21 percent of Asian workers. The shorter tenure among Hispanics can be explained, in part, by their
relative youth. Nearly 50 percent of Hispanic workers age 16 and over were between the ages of 16 and
34. By contrast, fewer than 40 percent of whites, blacks, and Asians were 16 to 34 years old. (See
table 3.)
About 24 percent of wage and salary workers age 16 and over had 12 months or less of tenure with
their current employer in January 2006. These short-tenured workers include new entrants and reentrants to
the labor force, job losers who found new jobs during the previous year, and workers who had voluntarily
changed employers during the previous year. As would be expected, younger workers are more likely than
older workers to have short tenure. For example, among 20- to 24-year-olds, about half had a year or less
of tenure with their current employer. (See table 3.)
Industry
In January 2006, wage and salary workers in the public sector had almost double the median tenure of
private sector employees, 6.9 versus 3.6 years. One factor behind this difference is age. About 75 percent
of government workers were age 35 and over compared with about 60 percent of private wage and salary
workers. Federal employees had a higher median tenure (9.9 years) than state (6.3 years) or local government (6.6 years) employees. (See table 5.)
Within the private sector, workers in manufacturing had the highest tenure among major industries, at
5.5 years in January 2006. By comparison, workers in leisure and hospitality had the lowest median tenure
(1.9 years). These differences in tenure reflect many factors, one of which is varying age distributions across
industries; workers in manufacturing tend to be older on average than those in leisure and hospitality.
Occupation
Among the major occupations, workers in management, professional, and related occupations had the
highest median tenure (5.2 years) in January 2006. Within this group, employees with jobs in architecture
and engineering occupations (6.5 years) and management occupations (6.0 years) had the longest tenure.
Workers in service occupations, who are generally younger than persons employed in management, professional, and related occupations, had the lowest median tenure (2.8 years). Among employees working in
service occupations, food service workers had the lowest median tenure, at 1.8 years. (See table 6.)

Technical Note
The data in this release were collected through a supplement
to the January 2006 Current Population Survey (CPS). The CPS,
which is conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau
of Labor Statistics (BLS), is a monthly survey of about 60,000
households that provides information on the labor force status,
demographics, and other characteristics of the nation’s civilian
noninstitutional population age 16 and over.
The January 2006 CPS supplement obtained information on
worker displacement and workers’ tenure with their current
employer. The data on worker displacement appear in the BLS
news release USDL 06-1454, “Worker Displacement, 2003-05,”
issued on August 17, 2006.
Information in this release will be made available to sensoryimpaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200,
TDD message referral phone number: 1-800-877-8339.
Reliability of the estimates
Statistics based on the CPS are subject to both sampling and
nonsampling error. When a sample, rather than the entire
population, is surveyed, there is a chance that the sample
estimates may differ from the “true” population values they
represent. The exact difference, or sampling error, varies
depending on the particular sample selected, and this variability
is measured by the standard error of the estimate. There is
about a 90-percent chance, or level of confidence, that an
estimate based on a sample will differ by no more than 1.6
standard errors from the “true” population value because of
sampling error. BLS analyses are generally conducted at the
90-percent level of confidence.
The CPS data also are affected by nonsampling error.
Nonsampling error can occur for many reasons, including the
failure to sample a segment of the population, inability to obtain
information for all respondents in the sample, inability or
unwillingness of respondents to provide correct information,
and errors made in the collection or processing of the data.
For a full discussion of the reliability of data from the CPS
and information on estimating standard errors, see the
“Explanatory Notes and Estimates of Error” section of
Employment and Earnings.
Tenure questions and concepts
In the January 2006 CPS supplement, questions on tenure
were asked of all employed persons. The first question was:
“How long has ... been working continuously for (fill in name
of present employer)?”
____
____
____
____

Days
Weeks
Months
Years

For responses of “1 year” or “2 years,” a follow-up question was asked: “Could you please give the exact number of
months?”

The purpose of the follow-up question is to obtain
more precise information on workers who had been with their
current employer for a relatively short time. This followup 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, and, for
this reason, estimates of tenure are not presented in this release
for years prior to 1983.
Data refer to the sole or principal job of full- and part-time
workers. All data exclude the incorporated and unincorporated self
employed.
Interpreting tenure data
Data on tenure have been used as a gauge of employment
security, with some observers regarding increases in tenure as
a sign of improving security and decreasing tenure as a sign of
deteriorating security. However, there are limitations to using
the data in this way. For example, during recessions or other
periods of declining job security, median tenure and the
proportion of workers with long tenure could rise because lesssenior workers are more likely to lose their jobs than are workers
with longer tenure. During periods of economic growth, median
tenure and the proportion of workers with long tenure could fall
because more job opportunities are available for new entrants
to the workforce and experienced workers have more
opportunities to change employers and take better jobs. Tenure
also could rise under improving economic conditions, however,
as fewer layoffs occur and good job matches develop between
workers and employers.
A changing age distribution among workers would also affect
median tenure. Since older workers are more likely to have long
tenure with their current employer than younger workers, aging
baby boomers in the workforce would provide upward pressure
on overall median tenure.

Table 1. Median years of tenure with current employer for employed wage and salary
workers by age and sex, selected years, 1996-2006
Age and sex

February
1996

February
1998

February
2000

January
2002

January
2004

January
2006

3.8
.7
.7
1.2
5.0
2.8
5.3
8.3
10.2
8.4

3.6
.6
.7
1.1
4.7
2.7
5.0
8.1
10.1
7.8

3.5
.6
.7
1.1
4.7
2.6
4.8
8.2
10.0
9.4

3.7
.7
.8
1.2
4.7
2.7
4.6
7.6
9.9
8.6

4.0
.7
.8
1.3
4.9
2.9
4.9
7.7
9.6
9.0

4.0
.6
.7
1.3
4.9
2.9
4.9
7.3
9.3
8.8

4.0
.6
.7
1.2
5.3
3.0
6.1
10.1
10.5
8.3

3.8
.6
.7
1.2
4.9
2.8
5.5
9.4
11.2
7.1

3.8
.6
.7
1.2
4.9
2.7
5.3
9.5
10.2
9.0

3.9
.8
.8
1.4
4.9
2.8
5.0
9.1
10.2
8.1

4.1
.7
.8
1.3
5.1
3.0
5.2
9.6
9.8
8.2

4.1
.7
.7
1.4
5.0
2.9
5.1
8.1
9.5
8.3

3.5
.7
.7
1.2
4.7
2.7
4.8
7.0
10.0
8.4

3.4
.6
.7
1.1
4.4
2.5
4.5
7.2
9.6
8.7

3.3
.6
.7
1.0
4.4
2.5
4.3
7.3
9.9
9.7

3.4
.7
.8
1.1
4.4
2.5
4.2
6.5
9.6
9.4

3.8
.6
.8
1.3
4.7
2.8
4.5
6.4
9.2
9.6

3.9
.6
.7
1.2
4.8
2.8
4.6
6.7
9.2
9.5

TOTAL
16 years and over .......................
16 to 17 years ...................................
18 to 19 years ...................................
20 to 24 years ...................................
25 years and over .............................
25 to 34 years .................................
35 to 44 years .................................
45 to 54 years .................................
55 to 64 years .................................
65 years and over ...........................
Men
16 years and over .......................
16 to 17 years ...................................
18 to 19 years ...................................
20 to 24 years ...................................
25 years and over .............................
25 to 34 years .................................
35 to 44 years .................................
45 to 54 years .................................
55 to 64 years .................................
65 years and over ...........................
Women
16 years and over .......................
16 to 17 years ...................................
18 to 19 years ...................................
20 to 24 years ...................................
25 years and over .............................
25 to 34 years .................................
35 to 44 years .................................
45 to 54 years .................................
55 to 64 years .................................
65 years and over ...........................

NOTE: Data for 1996 and 1998 are based on population
controls from the 1990 census. Data beginning in 2000 reflect
the introduction of Census 2000 population controls and are
not strictly comparable with data for prior years. Some data
in this table may vary slightly from the data published in the
Employee Tenure 2004 news release (USDL 04-1829) due to

recalculation of the estimates with the new
controls. In addition, data for January 2004
introduction of revisions to population controls
2003 and 2004, and data for January 2006
introduction of revisions to population controls
2005 and 2006.

population
reflect the
in January
reflect the
in January

Table 2. Percent of employed wage and salary workers 25 years and over who had 10 years
or more of tenure with their current employer by age and sex, selected years, 1996-2006
Age and sex

February
1996

February
1998

February
2000

January
2002

January
2004

January
2006

30.5
2.8
14.7
26.9
36.1
44.5
50.4
54.0
51.5
47.4

30.7
2.7
14.7
27.0
35.6
42.9
48.8
52.9
54.4
45.0

31.5
2.5
13.9
26.1
35.8
45.2
48.7
53.1
53.0
49.8

30.8
2.2
11.7
25.2
33.9
41.2
49.4
53.3
50.5
48.0

30.6
2.4
10.9
23.2
32.4
42.1
48.5
50.9
49.7
48.7

30.0
2.4
10.6
22.8
31.8
39.9
46.6
50.1
48.4
48.5

33.1
3.3
15.6
30.5
41.7
50.8
54.9
55.7
50.4
47.6

32.7
3.1
15.3
29.7
39.1
47.4
52.8
56.5
55.7
42.3

33.4
3.0
15.1
29.4
40.2
49.0
51.6
53.7
52.4
48.6

32.6
2.6
13.0
27.2
37.4
45.4
54.0
56.5
48.4
46.4

32.4
2.7
11.9
24.9
36.2
48.1
53.0
53.4
48.5
46.8

31.1
2.6
11.6
24.7
34.8
42.9
49.7
51.0
48.1
47.2

27.6
2.2
13.6
22.9
30.4
38.1
45.8
52.1
52.7
47.2

28.4
2.2
14.0
24.0
31.8
38.4
44.6
49.2
53.0
47.7

29.5
1.9
12.5
22.3
31.2
41.4
45.8
52.5
53.6
51.0

28.8
1.8
10.2
22.9
30.2
37.0
44.8
49.9
52.6
49.7

28.6
1.9
9.8
21.3
28.5
36.2
44.1
48.4
51.0
50.7

28.8
2.1
9.4
20.5
28.4
36.9
43.6
49.1
48.7
49.9

TOTAL
25 years and over .......................
25 to 29 years ...................................
30 to 34 years ...................................
35 to 39 years ...................................
40 to 44 years ...................................
45 to 49 years ...................................
50 to 54 years ...................................
55 to 59 years ...................................
60 to 64 years ...................................
65 years and over .............................
Men
25 years and over .......................
25 to 29 years ...................................
30 to 34 years ...................................
35 to 39 years ...................................
40 to 44 years ...................................
45 to 49 years ...................................
50 to 54 years ...................................
55 to 59 years ...................................
60 to 64 years ...................................
65 years and over .............................
Women
25 years and over .......................
25 to 29 years ...................................
30 to 34 years ...................................
35 to 39 years ...................................
40 to 44 years ...................................
45 to 49 years ...................................
50 to 54 years ...................................
55 to 59 years ...................................
60 to 64 years ...................................
65 years and over .............................

NOTE: Data for 1996 and 1998 are based on population
controls from the 1990 census. Data beginning in 2000 reflect
the introduction of Census 2000 population controls and are
not strictly comparable with data for prior years. Some data
in this table may vary slightly from the data published in the
Employee Tenure 2004 news release (USDL 04-1829) due to

recalculation of the estimates with the new
controls. In addition, data for January 2004
introduction of revisions to population controls
2003 and 2004, and data for January 2006
introduction of revisions to population controls
2005 and 2006.

population
reflect the
in January
reflect the
in January

Table 3. Distribution of employed wage and salary workers by tenure with current employer, age, sex, race, and
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, January 2006
Percent distribution by tenure with current employer
Age, sex, race, and
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Number
employed
(in thousands)

Total

125,668
5,563
120,105
13,083
28,392
30,466
28,845
15,619
3,699

100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0

24.4
75.1
22.0
50.4
28.8
18.6
13.5
11.4
10.4

7.0
10.5
6.8
12.5
9.3
6.2
4.6
3.9
3.1

65,212
2,696
62,516
6,840
15,477
16,184
14,392
7,750
1,873

100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0

23.9
74.1
21.8
49.7
28.0
17.9
13.0
11.6
10.7

60,456
2,867
57,589
6,243
12,915
14,282
14,453
7,870
1,826

100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0

102,900
54,241
48,659

12
13 to 23
months
2 years
months
or less

3 to 4
years

5 to 9
years

10 to 14 15 to 19 20 years
years
years or more

5.2
7.2
5.1
10.2
6.8
4.6
3.2
2.6
2.8

16.9
6.8
17.4
19.4
23.4
17.2
14.0
12.9
12.6

20.9
.4
21.9
7.5
25.3
26.1
21.7
19.7
22.6

9.5
–
9.9
(1)
5.6
13.7
12.7
12.7
12.8

6.7
–
7.0
–
.8
9.3
11.1
11.3
10.3

9.4
–
9.8
–
(1)
4.4
19.2
25.5
25.4

6.8
9.9
6.7
12.0
9.1
5.8
4.3
4.1
3.4

5.3
8.3
5.2
10.2
7.2
4.5
3.1
3.0
3.0

16.7
7.2
17.2
20.8
22.8
16.5
13.0
12.8
12.4

20.7
.4
21.5
7.3
25.9
25.5
20.6
18.5
23.3

9.6
–
10.0
.1
6.0
14.9
12.5
11.7
12.4

6.6
–
6.8
–
1.0
9.8
11.3
9.5
8.9

10.3
–
10.8
–
(1)
5.1
22.2
28.8
25.9

24.9
76.0
22.4
51.2
29.8
19.3
14.0
11.1
10.0

7.2
11.1
7.0
13.0
9.5
6.8
4.9
3.6
2.7

5.0
6.2
5.0
10.2
6.5
4.7
3.4
2.3
2.6

17.2
6.4
17.7
17.8
24.0
17.9
14.9
13.1
12.8

21.2
.3
22.2
7.7
24.6
26.7
22.8
20.9
22.0

9.3
–
9.8
–
5.2
12.3
13.0
13.6
13.2

6.8
–
7.2
–
.5
8.8
10.8
13.2
11.7

8.4
–
8.8
–
–
3.6
16.2
22.2
25.0

100.0
100.0
100.0

24.0
23.4
24.6

6.9
6.7
7.2

5.1
5.1
5.0

16.8
16.6
17.0

20.9
20.7
21.1

9.7
9.9
9.4

6.9
6.9
6.9

9.8
10.8
8.7

14,265
6,501
7,764

100.0
100.0
100.0

26.2
26.4
26.1

6.6
6.7
6.6

5.7
6.4
5.1

17.2
17.8
16.7

21.1
19.8
22.2

8.4
8.6
8.2

6.5
5.5
7.5

8.2
8.9
7.7

5,463
2,941
2,522

100.0
100.0
100.0

23.7
23.1
24.5

8.3
9.0
7.4

5.8
6.2
5.3

19.0
17.5
20.7

22.5
24.9
19.8

9.9
9.3
10.7

4.3
3.5
5.2

6.4
6.5
6.4

17,741
10,550
7,191

100.0
100.0
100.0

30.1
29.7
30.6

6.5
6.0
7.3

7.3
7.7
6.8

20.2
20.5
19.7

20.3
20.5
20.1

7.2
7.4
7.0

4.6
4.7
4.4

3.7
3.5
4.1

TOTAL
16 years and over .............
16 to 19 years .........................
20 years and over ...................
20 to 24 years .......................
25 to 34 years .......................
35 to 44 years .......................
45 to 54 years .......................
55 to 64 years .......................
65 years and over .................
Men
16 years and over .............
16 to 19 years .........................
20 years and over ...................
20 to 24 years .......................
25 to 34 years .......................
35 to 44 years .......................
45 to 54 years .......................
55 to 64 years .......................
65 years and over .................
Women
16 years and over .............
16 to 19 years .........................
20 years and over ...................
20 to 24 years .......................
25 to 34 years .......................
35 to 44 years .......................
45 to 54 years .......................
55 to 64 years .......................
65 years and over .................
White
16 years and over ...............
Men .........................................
Women ...................................
Black or African American
16 years and over ...............
Men .........................................
Women ...................................
Asian
16 years and over ...............
Men .........................................
Women ...................................
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity
16 years and over ...............
Men .........................................
Women ...................................

1 Less than 0.05 percent.
NOTE: Detail for the above race groups (white, black or African American,
and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races.
In addition, persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may

be of any race and, therefore, are classified by ethnicity as well as by race.
Data reflect the introduction of revisions to population controls in January
2005 and 2006. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

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 2006
25 years and over
Educational attainment and sex
Total

25 to 34
years

35 to 44
years

45 to 54
years

55 to 64
years

65 years
and over

Total ........................................................
Less than a high school diploma ................
High school graduates, no college .............
Some college, no degree ............................
Associate degree ........................................
College graduates ......................................
Bachelor’s degree .....................................
Master’s degree ........................................
Doctoral or professional degree ...............

4.9
3.8
5.0
4.9
5.3
5.1
4.9
5.6
5.9

2.9
2.4
3.0
2.7
3.2
3.0
3.0
3.2
2.0

4.9
3.7
4.8
4.9
5.4
5.1
5.1
5.3
4.9

7.3
5.1
6.9
7.9
7.4
8.2
7.9
9.1
8.0

9.3
6.6
9.0
8.0
9.5
10.4
9.9
10.6
14.2

8.8
7.1
9.2
9.5
8.4
9.5
9.5
7.4
15.3

Men .........................................................
Less than a high school diploma ................
High school graduates, no college .............
Some college, no degree ............................
Associate degree ........................................
College graduates ......................................
Bachelor’s degree .....................................
Master’s degree ........................................
Doctoral or professional degree ...............

5.0
4.0
5.0
5.0
5.5
5.3
5.1
5.6
7.5

2.9
2.5
3.1
2.7
3.4
3.0
3.1
2.8
2.0

5.1
4.0
5.1
5.5
5.8
5.2
5.3
5.3
5.1

8.1
6.0
7.4
9.0
9.3
8.8
8.6
8.6
9.2

9.5
6.5
8.1
8.3
9.8
11.1
10.4
10.2
14.8

8.3
8.6
7.7
7.9
11.6
8.4
7.5
7.4
17.2

Women ...................................................
Less than a high school diploma ................
High school graduates, no college .............
Some college, no degree ............................
Associate degree ........................................
College graduates ......................................
Bachelor’s degree .....................................
Master’s degree ........................................
Doctoral or professional degree ...............

4.8
3.6
5.0
4.8
5.1
4.9
4.7
5.6
4.7

2.8
1.8
2.8
2.7
2.9
3.0
2.9
3.3
1.9

4.6
3.2
4.5
4.5
5.1
5.0
5.0
5.3
4.6

6.7
4.3
6.4
7.2
6.6
7.6
7.2
9.6
6.0

9.2
6.6
9.6
7.9
8.8
10.1
9.6
11.6
11.4

9.5
6.7
10.0
10.0
7.4
10.1
13.3
7.3
10.7

NOTE: Data reflect the introduction of revisions to population controls in January 2005 and 2006.

Table 5. Median years of tenure with current employer for employed wage and salary workers by
industry, selected years, 2000-06
Industry

February
2000

January
2002

January
2004

January
2006

Total, 16 years and over .......................................................................

3.5

3.7

4.0

4.0

Private sector ..........................................................................................
Agriculture and related industries .........................................................
Nonagricultural industries .....................................................................
Mining .................................................................................................
Construction .......................................................................................
Manufacturing .....................................................................................
Durable goods manufacturing ..........................................................
Nonmetallic mineral products .........................................................
Primary metals and fabricated metal products ...............................
Machinery manufacturing ...............................................................
Computers and electronic products ................................................
Electrical equipment and appliances ..............................................
Transportation equipment ...............................................................
Wood products ...............................................................................
Furniture and fixtures ......................................................................
Miscellaneous manufacturing .........................................................
Nondurable goods manufacturing ....................................................
Food manufacturing ........................................................................
Beverage and tobacco products .....................................................
Textiles, apparel, and leather .........................................................
Paper and printing ..........................................................................
Petroleum and coal products ..........................................................
Chemicals .......................................................................................
Plastics and rubber products ..........................................................
Wholesale and retail trade ..................................................................
Wholesale trade ................................................................................
Retail trade .......................................................................................
Transportation and utilities .................................................................
Transportation and warehousing ......................................................
Utilities ..............................................................................................
Information 1 .......................................................................................
Publishing, except Internet ...............................................................
Motion picture and sound recording industries .................................
Broadcasting, except Internet ...........................................................
Telecommunications .........................................................................
Financial activities ..............................................................................
Finance and insurance .....................................................................
Finance ...........................................................................................
Insurance ........................................................................................
Real estate and rental and leasing ...................................................
Real estate .....................................................................................
Rental and leasing services ............................................................
Professional and business services ...................................................
Professional and technical services .................................................
Management, administrative, and waste services 1 .........................
Administrative and support services ...............................................
Waste management and remediation services ..............................
Education and health services ............................................................
Educational services .........................................................................
Health care and social assistance ....................................................
Hospitals .........................................................................................
Health services, except hospitals ...................................................
Social assistance ............................................................................
Leisure and hospitality ........................................................................
Arts, entertainment, and recreation ..................................................
Accommodation and food services ...................................................
Accommodation ..............................................................................
Food services and drinking places .................................................

3.2
3.7
3.2
4.8
2.7
4.9
4.8
5.5
5.0
5.3
3.9
5.0
6.4
3.7
4.4
3.7
5.0
4.6
5.5
4.7
5.1
9.5
6.0
4.6
2.7
3.9
2.5
4.7
4.0
11.5
3.4
4.2
1.6
3.6
4.3
3.5
3.6
3.3
4.4
3.1
3.1
3.0
2.4
2.6
2.0
1.8
3.6
3.4
3.2
3.5
5.1
3.2
2.4
1.7
2.6
1.5
2.8
1.4

3.3
4.2
3.3
4.5
3.0
5.4
5.5
5.3
6.3
6.8
4.7
5.5
7.0
4.3
4.7
4.5
5.3
5.0
4.6
5.0
6.2
9.8
5.7
5.3
2.8
3.9
2.6
4.9
4.3
13.4
3.3
4.8
2.3
3.1
3.4
3.6
3.9
3.6
4.5
3.0
3.2
2.2
2.7
3.1
2.1
1.9
4.3
3.5
3.6
3.5
4.9
3.1
2.5
1.8
2.3
1.6
2.7
1.4

3.5
3.7
3.5
5.2
3.0
5.8
6.0
4.8
6.4
6.4
5.2
9.8
7.7
5.0
4.7
4.6
5.5
4.9
8.0
5.0
6.9
11.4
5.3
5.7
3.1
4.3
2.8
5.3
4.7
13.3
4.3
4.7
2.2
4.0
4.6
3.9
4.1
4.0
4.4
3.3
3.5
2.9
3.2
3.6
2.6
2.4
3.4
3.6
3.8
3.6
4.7
3.3
2.8
2.0
2.8
1.9
3.1
1.6

3.6
3.8
3.6
3.8
3.0
5.5
5.6
5.0
6.2
6.6
5.9
6.2
7.2
4.7
4.2
3.9
5.4
5.2
5.4
4.4
6.3
5.0
6.1
5.0
3.1
4.6
2.8
4.9
4.3
10.4
4.8
5.3
1.9
4.6
5.3
4.0
4.1
3.9
4.7
3.4
3.5
3.1
3.2
3.8
2.5
2.4
4.1
4.0
4.0
4.1
5.2
3.6
3.1
1.9
3.1
1.6
2.5
1.4

See footnotes at end of table.

Table 5. Median years of tenure with current employer for employed wage and salary workers by
industry, selected years, 2000-06—Continued
February
2000

January
2002

January
2004

January
2006

Other services ....................................................................................
Other services, except private households .......................................
Repair and maintenance ................................................................
Personal and laundry services .......................................................
Membership associations and organizations ..................................
Other services, private households ..................................................

3.1
3.2
3.0
2.7
4.0
3.0

3.3
3.3
3.0
2.8
4.1
2.7

3.3
3.5
3.2
3.4
3.9
2.3

3.2
3.3
2.9
2.8
4.2
2.8

Public sector ...........................................................................................
Federal government .............................................................................
State government .................................................................................
Local government .................................................................................

7.1
11.5
5.5
6.7

6.7
11.3
5.4
6.2

6.9
10.4
6.4
6.4

6.9
9.9
6.3
6.6

Industry

1 Includes other industries, not shown separately.
NOTE: Data for January 2004 reflect the introduction of revisions to population controls in January 2003 and 2004. Data for January
2006 reflect the introduction of revisions to population controls in January 2005 and 2006.

Table 6. Median years of tenure with current employer for employed wage and salary workers by
occupation, selected years, 2000-06
February
2000

January
2002

January
2004

January
2006

Total, 16 years and over .....................................................................

3.5

3.7

4.0

4.0

Management, professional, and related occupations ............................
Management, business, and financial operations occupations ...........
Management occupations ................................................................
Business and financial operations occupations ................................
Professional and related occupations ..................................................
Computer and mathematical occupations ........................................
Architecture and engineering occupations .......................................
Life, physical, and social science occupations .................................
Community and social services occupations ....................................
Legal occupations .............................................................................
Education, training, and library occupations .....................................
Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations ............
Healthcare practitioner and technical occupations ...........................

4.6
4.9
5.3
4.0
4.4
3.1
4.8
4.6
4.6
3.9
5.4
3.2
4.6

4.6
5.2
5.6
4.2
4.2
3.2
5.2
4.3
4.4
4.5
4.8
3.0
4.3

5.0
5.5
6.0
4.5
4.7
4.8
5.8
4.2
4.7
4.1
5.1
3.6
4.5

5.2
5.5
6.0
4.7
5.0
4.8
6.5
4.7
4.7
5.0
5.3
3.6
4.8

Service occupations ..............................................................................
Healthcare support occupations ..........................................................
Protective service occupations ............................................................
Food preparation and serving related occupations .............................
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations ............
Personal care and service occupations ...............................................

2.5
2.8
5.6
1.6
3.4
2.3

2.4
2.5
5.4
1.5
3.0
2.3

2.8
2.9
5.5
1.8
3.3
2.7

2.8
3.1
5.5
1.8
3.7
2.4

Sales and office occupations .................................................................
Sales and related occupations ............................................................
Office and administrative support occupations ....................................

3.1
2.6
3.4

3.2
2.7
3.6

3.4
2.8
4.0

3.4
2.8
4.1

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations ...........
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ..........................................
Construction and extraction occupations .............................................
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ..............................

3.6
2.8
3.1
4.7

3.7
4.0
3.2
4.6

3.7
3.7
3.2
4.7

3.5
3.6
3.0
4.6

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations ...............
Production occupations .......................................................................
Transportation and material moving occupations ................................

3.9
4.5
3.2

4.3
5.2
3.2

4.2
5.0
3.4

4.0
4.8
3.3

Occupation

NOTE: Data for January 2004 reflect the introduction of revisions to population controls in January 2003 and 2004. Data for January
2006 reflect the introduction of revisions to population controls in January 2005 and 2006.