September 1, 2000 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Median tenure declines among older men, 1983-2000

Between 1983 and 2000, median years of job tenure among men age 55 to 64 dropped by about a third.

Median years of tenure with current employer, men age 55 to 64, 1983-2000
[Chart data—TXT]

In January 1983, the median number of years that male wage and salary workers age 55 to 64 had been with their current employer was 15.3 years. As of February 2000, this figure had declined to 10.2 years.

Tenure also fell for men in most other age groups from 1983 to 2000, but not as much as for those 55 to 64 years old. For example, median years of tenure for men age 45 to 54 decreased from 12.8 years in 1983 to 9.5 in 2000.

These data are from a supplement to the Current Population Survey. The questions on tenure measure how long workers had been with their current employer at the time they were surveyed, not how long they will eventually stay with their employer. See Employee Tenure in 2000, news release USDL 00-245 for more information.

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