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How Often Do People Change Jobs?

Changing jobs has been the subject of discussion in recent years, with a lot of people looking to switch careers since the COVID-19 pandemic. [1] Employees Plan on Switching Jobs Post-COVID https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/03/09/majority-of-workers-who-quit-a-job-in-2021-cite-low-pay-no-opportunities-for-advancement-feeling-disrespected/ But how often do people typically stay in the same role, and does this figure change depending on who you are and what kind of industry you work in?

We’ve analyzed some interesting statistics relating to how often people change jobs, and why some people decide to make the switch.

Key statistics

Contents

How long does the average person stay at a job?

Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the median number of years salaried and waged workers had been with their employer was 4.1 years. The figure for men was slightly higher at 4.3 years, while it was 3.9 years for women. The median figure increased steadily from 1983 to 2014 and then dropped slightly up to 2020.

Below we can see a breakdown of how median employee tenure has changed over time. From 1983 to 2020, the median employee tenure for all workers increased by 20.5% from 3.4 years to 4.1 years. It’s possible that this percentage increase is related to older people retiring later and staying at the same company for longer until they retire.

Date Total Men Women
Jan 2020 4.1 4.3 3.9
Jan 2018 4.2 4.3 4.0
Jan 2016 4.2 4.3 4.0
Jan 2014 4.6 4.7 4.5
Jan 2012 4.6 4.7 4.6
Jan 2010 4.4 4.6 4.2
Jan 2008 4.1 4.2 3.9
Jan 2006 4.0 4.1 3.9
Jan 2004 4.0 4.1 3.8
Jan 2002 3.7 3.9 3.4
Feb 2000 3.5 3.8 3.3
Feb 1998 3.6 3.8 3.4
Feb 1996 3.8 4.0 3.5
Jan 1991 3.6 4.1 3.2
Jan 1987 3.4 4.0 3.0
Jan 1983 3.5 4.1 3.1

Source [2] BLS Median Tenure Report https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2020/median-tenure-with-current-employer-was-4-point-1-years-in-january-2020.htm

Job change statistics by demographic

Different demographics see different results when it comes to the length of time people spend with the same employer. Let’s take a look at some of these job change statistics broken down by gender, age and race.

Job changes by gender

As we mentioned earlier, job change statistics varied slightly between men and women, with men staying at the same job longer than women.

Employee tenure by age

When looking at median employee tenure (the point at which half of all workers had more tenure and half had less tenure), there were some interesting differences when comparing age groups.

From the data below, we can see that as age increases, so does the median amount of time a person spends with the same employer. In 2020, those aged 65 and over had spent a median of 10.3 years with the same employer. In the 25-34 age group, people spend a median of 2.8 years with the same employer.

Possible reasons for differences in employee tenure by age

We’ve looked at the data from the BLS on the difference in employee tenure. But separate from this, what might be the reason for different age groups spending different amounts of time at a job?

Another recent report showed that millennials are more than three times as likely to have changed jobs in the past year when compared to non-millennials. Almost two-thirds (60%) of millennials said they were open to new job opportunities, as opposed to 45% of non-millennials who said the same. [3] Millennials Job Hopping Generation https://www.gallup.com/workplace/231587/millennials-job-hopping-generation.aspx

Median employee tenure in years by age

Over the 10 years between 2010 and 2020, median employee tenure stayed relatively stable in all age groups. The largest increase was in the 65 and over age group, which went from 9.9 years to 10.3 years, an increase of 4%. 

All age groups between 18 and 64 saw a decrease in median tenure over this 10 year period. The largest percentage decrease was in 18-19-year-olds whose median tenure decreased from 1 year to 0.8 years (a 20% decrease).

Age 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 % change
Age 16 to 17 years 2010 0.7 2012 0.7 2014 0.7 2016 0.6 2018 0.6 2020 0.7 % change 0.0%
Age 18 to 19 years 2010 1.0 2012 0.8 2014 0.8 2016 0.8 2018 0.8 2020 0.8 % change -20.0%
Age 20 to 24 years 2010 1.5 2012 1.3 2014 1.3 2016 1.3 2018 1.2 2020 1.3 % change -13.3%
Age 25 to 34 years 2010 3.1 2012 3.2 2014 3.0 2016 2.8 2018 2.8 2020 2.8 % change -9.7%
Age 35 to 44 years 2010 5.1 2012 5.3 2014 5.2 2016 4.9 2018 4.9 2020 4.9 % change -3.9%
Age 45 to 54 years 2010 7.8 2012 7.8 2014 7.9 2016 7.9 2018 7.6 2020 7.5 % change -3.8%
Age 55 to 64 years 2010 10.0 2012 10.3 2014 10.4 2016 10.1 2018 10.1 2020 9.9 % change -1.0%
Age 65 years and over 2010 9.9 2012 10.3 2014 10.3 2016 10.3 2018 10.2 2020 10.3 % change 4.0%

Source [4] BLS Employee Tenure Summary https://www.bls.gov/news.release/tenure.nr0.htm

Job changes by race

Statistics from The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found that from the major race and ethnicity groups, 29% of white people had been with their current employer for at least 10 years. This was higher compared with those of Asian ethnicity at 26%, Black people at 23%, and Hispanics at 22%. [4] BLS Employee Tenure Summary https://www.bls.gov/news.release/tenure.nr0.htm

The longer employee tenure among white people can be partly explained by the fact that white salary and hourly wage workers tend to be older. Around a quarter (23%) of white workers were aged 55 or older, compared with 19% of Black people, 19% of Asians, and 15% of Hispanics being 55 or over.

Job change statistics by occupation

The type of work someone does also has an effect on how long they’ll stay in the same job. Taking data from major occupations in the U.S.:

Median employee tenure of salary and hourly wage workers by occupation

Occupation 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 % change from 2010 to 2020
Occupation Total, 16 years and over 2010 4.4 2012 4.6 20144.6 20164.2 20184.2 20204.1 2022-6.8%
Occupation Management, professional, and related  2010 5.2 2012 5.5 20145.7 20165.1 20185.0 20204.9 2022-5.8%
Occupation Management, business, and financial operations 2010 5.4 2012 5.9 20146.3 20165.5 20185.5 20205.3 2022-1.9%
Occupation Management 2010 6.1 2012 6.3 20146.9 20166.3 20186.4 20205.8 2022-4.9%
Occupation Business and financial operations 2010 4.6 2012 5.2 20145.0 20164.6 20184.5 20204.7 20222.2%
Occupation Professional and related 2010 5.0 2012 5.4 20145.3 20164.9 20184.7 20204.6 2022-8.0%
Occupation Computer and mathematical 2010 4.8 2012 4.8 20145.0 20164.4 20184.3 20203.9 2022-18.8%
Occupation Architecture and engineering 2010 5.7 2012 7.0 20146.4 20165.5 20185.7 20205.1 2022-10.5%
Occupation Life, physical, and social science 2010 4.6 2012 5.3 20145.0 20164.9 20184.8 20204.1 2022-10.9%
Occupation Community and social service 2010 4.6 2012 5.0 20145.1 20164.3 20184.6 20204.6 20220.0%
Occupation Legal 2010 4.6 2012 5.4 20145.4 20165.5 20185.1 20205.8 202226.1%
Occupation Education, training, and library 2010 5.6 2012 5.9 20146.2 20165.3 20185.1 20205.0 2022-10.7%
Occupation Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media 2010 3.9 2012 4.2 20143.4 20163.8 20183.9 20203.4 2022-12.8%
Occupation Healthcare practitioners and technical 2010 4.8 2012 5.2 20145.2 20164.8 20184.3 20204.7 2022-2.1%
Occupation Service 2010 3.1 2012 3.2 20143.3 20162.9 20182.9 20202.9 2022-6.5%
Occupation Healthcare support 2010 3.3 2012 3.3 20143.5 20163.1 20183.0 20202.8 2022-15.2%
Occupation Protective service 2010 5.0 2012 6.4 20146.5 20166.2 20185.0 20205.3 20226.0%
Occupation Food preparation and serving 2010 2.3 2012 2.3 20142.2 20161.9 20181.9 20201.9 2022-17.4%
Occupation Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance 2010 4.1 2012 4.0 20144.3 20163.8 20184.1 20204.0 2022-2.4%
Occupation Personal care and service 2010 2.9 2012 3.0 20142.9 20162.9 20183.0 20203.1 20226.9%
Occupation Sales and office 2010 4.1 2012 4.2 20144.0 20163.5 20183.5 20203.7 2022-9.8%
Occupation Sales and related 2010 3.4 2012 3.4 20143.4 20163.1 20183.2 20203.3 2022-2.9%
Occupation Office and administrative support 2010 4.7 2012 4.8 20144.6 20164.0 20183.8 20204.1 2022-12.8%
Occupation Natural resources, construction, and maintenance 2010 4.7 2012 4.7 20144.4 20164.5 20184.5 20204.2 2022-10.6%
Occupation Farming, fishing, and forestry 2010 4.2 2012 3.9 20143.2 20164.1 20184.0 20203.5 2022-16.7%
Occupation Construction and extraction 2010 4.1 2012 4.3 20143.7 20164.2 20184.2 20204.0 2022-2.4%
Occupation Installation, maintenance, and repair 2010 5.7 2012 5.3 20145.4 20165.2 20185.1 20204.7 2022-17.5%
Occupation Production, transportation, and material moving 2010 4.6 2012 4.8 20144.5 20164.3 20184.0 20203.8 2022-17.4%
Occupation Production 2010 5.3 2012 5.3 20145.2 20164.7 20184.4 20204.9 2022-7.5%
Occupation Transportation and material moving 2010 4.0 2012 4.3 20143.8 20163.9 20183.5 20203.3 2022-17.5%

Source [4] BLS Employee Tenure Summary https://www.bls.gov/news.release/tenure.nr0.htm

When looking at the percentage change in tenure from 2010 to 2020, the median tenure for most occupations has decreased during this time. The only professions which increased in tenure were business and financial operations (2.2%), protective services (6%), personal care and services (6.9%), and legal occupations with a sizable 26.1% increase.

Job change statistics by educational attainment

Job change statistics level of education show that people educated to less than a highschool diploma level had a lower median tenure at 4.6 years. The highest median tenure came from people with a doctoral or professional degree, with 5.5 years.

When factoring in age groups, people aged 65 and over with a doctoral or professional degree had the longest tenure at 14.7 years spent with the same employer.

Median tenure of employees by education level

  Total 25 to 34 years 35 to 44 years 45 to 54 years 55 to 64 years 65 years and over
Education level Total Total 4.9 25 to 34 years 2.8 34 to 44 years 4.9 45 to 54 years 7.5 55 to 64 years 9.9 65 years and over 10.3
Education level Less than a high school diploma Total 4.6 25 to 34 years 2.7 34 to 44 years 4.3 45 to 54 years 5.3 55 to 64 years 7.4 65 years and over 9.6
Education level High school graduates, no college Total 5.0 25 to 34 years 2.8 34 to 44 years 4.7 45 to 54 years 6.7 55 to 64 years 10.2 65 years and over 10.3
Education level Some college, no degree Total 4.7 25 to 34 years 2.7 34 to 44 years 4.8 45 to 54 years 6.9 55 to 64 years 9.8 65 years and over 10.1
Education level Associate degree Total 5.0 25 to 34 years 2.9 34 to 44 years 4.7 45 to 54 years 7.4 55 to 64 years 10.4 65 years and over 10.2
Education level College graduates Total 5.0 25 to 34 years 2.8 34 to 44 years 5.2 45 to 54 years 8.7 55 to 64 years 9.7 65 years and over 10.8
Education level Bachelor's degree only Total 4.8 25 to 34 years 2.9 34 to 44 years 5.2 45 to 54 years 8.0 55 to 64 years 9.4 65 years and over 10.1
Education level Master's degree Total 5.4 25 to 34 years 3.0 34 to 44 years 5.2 45 to 54 years 9.1 55 to 64 years 10.2 65 years and over 10.9
Education level Doctoral or professional degree Total 5.5 25 to 34 years 2.0 34 to 44 years 5.1 45 to 54 years 10.7 55 to 64 years 10.3 65 years and over 14.7

Source [4] BLS Employee Tenure Summary https://www.bls.gov/news.release/tenure.nr0.htm

Taking the data above from everyone aged 25 and over, we can see that those with the highest levels of education, a Master’s degree or a Doctoral degree, have the highest median employee tenure.

How many jobs do people have in a lifetime?

A study by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found that the average person has around 12 jobs in their lifetime. 

The average person will change careers 5-7 times throughout their working life according to the U.S. Department of Labor, and roughly 30% of the total workforce will change jobs every 12 months. 

How many people want to make a career change?

A survey from Harris Poll found that roughly 50% of employed Americans are considering changing their career. One in four (41%) of those are looking for more flexible or remote work, 39% wanted a higher salary or promotion, and 33% wanted to change industries completely. 22% of the people asked said they wanted to quit their job and start their own business. [5] CNBC - Career Change Survey https://www.cnbc.com/2021/10/12/why-50percent-of-workers-want-to-make-a-career-change-new-survey.html

One of the main reasons people said they wanted to change jobs was that they felt their employer didn’t care about their concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. Many working parents also said their employer didn’t understand them or provide them with any empathy. [5] CNBC - Career Change Survey https://www.cnbc.com/2021/10/12/why-50percent-of-workers-want-to-make-a-career-change-new-survey.html

Why people change jobs

Many workers have been involved in the so-called ‘Great Resignation’ which has seen record highs in workers quitting their jobs, with 4.53 million Americans quitting in November 2021. [6] The Great Resignation https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/01/the-great-resignation-in-numbers-record/ With a change in work culture and flexibility due to the pandemic, many workers will no longer put up with the working conditions or pay they accepted pre-COVID.

Changing jobs to beat inflation

A lot of people choose to switch jobs more frequently because they end up getting a higher salary over time than they would by staying with the same employer.

According to research from the career planning site, Zippia, the average salary increase for someone who changes jobs is 14.8%, compared with a 5.8% average salary increase for workers who stay in the same job. [7] Average Salary Increase When Changing Jobs https://www.zippia.com/advice/average-salary-increase-when-changing-jobs/

The U.S. Department of Labor reported that inflation grew by 7% from December 2020 to December 2021, but average hourly wages only increased by 4.7%. [8] Inflation and Wage Rises https://www.cnbc.com/2022/01/12/higher-pay-eclipses-inflation-bite-for-some-.html This means, on average, American workers received a pay cut of more than 2% when compared with inflation rates.

With wage growth lagging behind inflation, it’s no surprise that workers are looking to move jobs in search of a significant salary boost.

Switching jobs vs staying in a job

The gap between job ‘switchers’ and job ‘stayers’ has increased in recent months. In November 2021, the 12-month moving average of wage gains for people who switched jobs was 4.3%, compared to 3.2% for those who stayed in the same job. 

This showed a wider gap in comparison to June 2021, when switchers had an average of 3.8% growth, and stayers had 3.1% growth. [9] Atlanta Federal Reserve Wage Growth Tracker https://www.atlantafed.org/chcs/wage-growth-tracker

Other reasons people want to change jobs

So, what are some of the other key reasons people choose to leave their job in search of a new role? Career Plug surveyed 500 workers [10] Reasons Why Employees Quit https://www.careerplug.com/blog/reasons-employees-quit/ to determine some of the main reasons people decide to leave their job. When asked why they are dissatisfied with their current position, workers gave the following reasons:

Occupations expected to grow in the next decade

For those looking to make a career change, it can be difficult to know what industry to go into. There are some skills in demand that may appeal to employers over the coming months and years. Below are the 20 professions with the highest predicted percentage increase in employment between 2020 and 2030.

Occupation Growth Rate
Motion picture projectionists 70%
Wind turbine service technicians 68%
Ushers, lobby attendants, and ticket takers 62%
Nurse practitioners 52%
Solar photovoltaic installers 52%
Cooks 49%
Agents and business managers of artists, performers, and athletes 46%
Costume attendants 44%
Exercise trainers and group fitness instructors 39%
Model makers, wood 39%
Athletes and sports competitors 38%
Makeup artists, theatrical and performance 37%
Occupational therapy assistants 36%
Statisticians 35%
Entertainment attendants and related workers 35%
Physical therapist assistants 35%
Animal caretakers 34%
Miscellaneous entertainers and performers, sports and related workers 34%
Information security analysts 33%
Film and video editors 33%

Source [11] BLS Fastest Growing Jobs https://www.bls.gov/ooh/fastest-growing.htm

Methodology

We used the latest data from The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to assess the differences in employee tenure for different groups and to analyze the reasons for these differences and the changes over time.

Sources

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