EMPLOYEE TENURE IN 2010
"he median number of years that wage and salary workers had been with their
current employer was 4.4 in January 2010, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
reported today. This measure, referred to as employee tenure, was 4.1 years
in January 2008. The increase in tenure among those at work reflects, in part,
relatively large job losses among less-senior workers in the most recent
recession.

Information on employee tenure has been obtained from supplemental questions
to the Current Population Survey (CPS) every 2 years since 1996. These data are
collected as part of the Displaced Worker Supplement, which is sponsored by the
Employment and Training Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor. The CPS
is a monthly survey of about 60,000 households that provides information on the
labor force status 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 of the survey. A number of factors can affect the
median tenure of workers, including changes in the age profile among workers, as
well as changes in the number of hires and separations..."