Working Paper: NBER ID: w11878
Authors: Ann Huff Stevens
Abstract: This study considers whether there has been a decline in the attachment of workers and firms in the United States over the past several decades. Specifically, it compares snapshots of job tenure taken at the end of workers' careers from 1969 to 2002, using data from the Retirement History Survey, the National Longitudinal Survey of Older Men, and the Health and Retirement Study. The primary finding is one of stability in the prevalence of long-term employment relationships for men in the United States. In 1969, average tenure in the longest job for males aged 58-62 was 21.9 years. In 2002, the comparable figure was 21.4 years. Just over half of men ending their careers in 1969 had been with a single employer for at least 20 years; the same is true in 2002. This finding is robust to adjustments for minor differences in question details across data sources and for educational and retirement age changes over this time period.
Keywords: long-term employment; job stability; job tenure; labor market trends
JEL Codes: J6
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| job tenure (M51) | employment stability (J63) |
| long-term employment relationships stability (J63) | average job tenure (J63) |
| education (I29) | job tenure (M51) |
| job tenure (M51) | job security (J28) |
| long-term employment relationships (J29) | job stability (J63) |