Workers in the U.S. are staying a bit longer in their jobs and the growth in tenure is primarily driven by women, according to a new report by the Employee Benefit Research Institute.
The report, “Employee Tenure Trends, 1983-2014,” found that overall median tenure of workers (the midpoint of wage and salary workers’ length of employment in their current jobs) was slightly higher in 2014 at 5.5 years compared with 5.0 years in 1983. This continues a trend of steady increases from a low of 4.7 years in 1998-2002.
The report also found that female workers are staying on the job longer, while job tenure for men is shrinking.
Specifically, the EBRI report said, the median tenure for male workers was lower in 2014 at 5.5 years compared with 5.9 years in 1983. In contrast, the median tenure for female workers increased from 4.2 years in 1983 to 5.4 years in 2014.
“That means the increase in the median tenure of female workers more than offset the decline in the median tenure of male workers, leaving the overall level slightly higher,” said Craig Copeland, EBRI senior research associate and author of the report. “The high tenure trend is being driven by women.”
Other highlights of the EBRI report include: