For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Tuesday, May 5, 2020 USDL-20-0813 Technical information: nls_info@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/nls Media contact: (202) 691-5902 * PressOffice@bls.gov LABOR MARKET ACTIVITY, EDUCATION, AND PARTNER STATUS AMONG AMERICANS AT AGE 33: RESULTS FROM A LONGITUDINAL SURVEY Americans born in the early 1980s held an average of 8.2 jobs from age 18 through age 32, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. These young adults held more jobs at younger ages: they held an average of 4.5 jobs from ages 18 to 22 compared with 2.3 jobs from ages 28 to 32. While aged 18 to 32, women with more education held more jobs than women with less education. Regardless of education, men held a similar number of jobs. These findings are from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997, a nationally representative survey of about 9,000 men and women who were born during the years 1980 to 1984. These respondents were ages 12 to 17 when first interviewed in 1997 and ages 32 to 38 when interviewed for the 18th time in 2017-18. The survey provides information on work and non-work experiences, training, schooling, income, assets, and other characteristics. The information provided by respondents is representative of all men and women born in the early 1980s and living in the United States when the survey began in 1997. This release focuses on the educational attainment, employment experiences, and partner status of these individuals from their 18th birthday until they turned 33. Highlights from the longitudinal survey among this group include: --At their 25th birthday, 29 percent of women had received a bachelor's degree and higher, compared with 22 percent of men. By their 33rd birthday, 37 percent of women held a bachelor's degree and higher, compared with 30 percent of men. Seventy-five percent of women had at least attended some college by age 33 compared with 66 percent of men. (See table 1.) --Individuals held an average of 8.2 jobs from ages 18 through 32, with over half of these jobs being held between the ages of 18 and 22. (See table 2.) --Among individuals who started jobs while ages 18 to 24, the average individual had 57 percent of their jobs end in less than a year, compared with an average of 37 percent among those who started jobs while ages 25 to 32. In this older age range, job duration is significantly longer for those with more education. Among individuals with less than a high school education who started jobs while ages 25 to 32, the average individual had 53 percent of their jobs end in less than a year, compared with 29 percent among those with a bachelor's degree and higher. (See table 3.) --Women with less than a high school diploma were employed an average of 39 percent of weeks from ages 18 to 32, while men with less than a high school diploma were employed 64 percent of weeks. Among individuals with a bachelor's degree and higher, both women and men were employed an average of 81 percent of weeks. (See table 4.) --Individuals were employed for an average of 75 percent of weeks from ages 18 to 32. This varied across age brackets: from ages 18 to 22 individuals were employed 68 percent of weeks, from ages 23 to 27 and from ages 28 to 32 individuals were employed 78 percent of weeks. (See table 5.) --At the time of their 33rd birthday, 50 percent of individuals were married, 17 percent were cohabiting, and 33 percent were single. The percent of individuals who were married varied by education; those with higher levels of education were more likely to be married and less likely to be cohabiting than those with lower levels of education. (See table 6.) --Men who were single at age 33 were employed 71 percent of the weeks from ages 18 to 32, compared with 84 percent for those who were married and 77 percent for those who were cohabiting. The percentage of weeks employed varied less by partner status for women; women who were single at age 33 were employed 69 percent of the weeks from ages 18 to 32, compared with 73 percent for those who were married and 71 percent for those who were cohabiting. (See table 7.) Educational Attainment at Age 33 At 33 years of age, 33 percent of individuals had received a bachelor's degree and higher while 37 percent had attended some college or received an associate degree. Twenty-three percent had a high school diploma or General Education Development (GED) credential and no further schooling. (See table 1.) Women were more likely than men to have received a bachelor's degree by age 25, and this gap did not decrease by age 33. Twenty-two percent of men had earned a bachelor's degree by age 25, compared with 29 percent of women. By 33 years of age, 30 percent of men had earned a bachelor's degree compared to 37 percent of women. In total, 66 percent of men had either attended some college or received a bachelor's degree, compared with 75 percent of women. In addition to being more likely to attend college, women were more likely to have finished their college degree. Of the 75 percent of women who started college, nearly 50 percent received a bachelor's degree by age 33. In comparison, of the 66 percent of men who started college, 45 percent had received a bachelor's degree. At age 33, there was a large difference in educational attainment among racial and ethnic groups. Blacks and Hispanics or Latinos were more likely than Whites to have dropped out of high school. In comparison, Whites were more likely to have ever attended college (73 percent of Whites, compared to 63 percent of Blacks and 62 percent of Hispanics or Latinos) and nearly twice as likely to have received a bachelor's degree by this age. Thirty-eight percent of Whites had received a bachelor's degree at age 33, compared with 20 percent of both Blacks and Hispanics or Latinos. Within each racial and ethnic group examined at age 33, women were more likely to have a bachelor's degree than men. White women were more likely than White men to have received a bachelor's degree (42 percent compared with 34 percent), Black women were more likely than Black men (25 percent compared with 15 percent), and Hispanic or Latino women were more likely than Hispanic or Latino men (22 percent compared with 18 percent) to have received a bachelor's degree. Employment Experiences from Age 18 through Age 32 Americans born in 1980-84 held an average of 8.2 jobs from ages 18 through 32, with over half of these jobs held from ages 18 to 22. Men held an average of 8.1 jobs and women held an average of 8.3 jobs. Women at higher levels of educational attainment held more jobs than women at lower levels. Women with a bachelor's degree held 8.8 jobs from ages 18 through 32, compared with 6.5 jobs for female high school dropouts. Men held a similar number of jobs regardless of their level of educational attainment. (See table 2.) A job is defined as a period of work, including gaps, with a particular employer. (See the Technical Note for additional information on the definition of a job.) Examining employment experiences by smaller age brackets shows individuals held fewer jobs in each subsequent age bracket. Individuals held an average of 4.5 jobs in the 5-year period from ages 18 to 22. The number of jobs individuals held dropped to 3.3 jobs in the 5-year period from ages 23 to 27, and then dropped further to 2.3 jobs in the 5-year period from ages 28 to 32. The pattern of individuals holding fewer jobs as they aged was similar across all sexes, racial and ethnic groups, and levels of educational attainment. Duration of Employment Relationships The length of time a worker remains with an employer increased with the age at which the worker began the job. Of the jobs began between ages 18 to 24, the average worker had 57 percent of jobs end in less than a year and 90 percent of jobs end in less than 6 years. Among jobs began when 25 to 32 years old, the average worker had 37 percent of jobs end in less than a year and 73 percent end in less than 6 years. Job duration is also related to education. Sixty-five percent of the jobs the average high school dropout started while age 18 to 24 ended within a year, compared with 55 percent of jobs started at those ages by the average individual with a bachelor's degree. (See table 3.) Among individuals with less than a high school diploma who started jobs when they were 25 to 32 years of age, the average individual had 53 percent of these jobs end in less than a year and 85 percent end in less than 6 years. In comparison, for the average individuals with a bachelor's degree who started jobs at those ages, 29 percent of the jobs ended in under 1 year and only 67 percent ended in less than 6 years. Percent of Weeks Employed, Unemployed, and Not in the Labor Force On average, individuals born in 1980-84 were employed during 75 percent of all the weeks from age 18 through age 32, unemployed--that is, without a job but seeking work--6 percent of the weeks, and not in the labor force-- that is, neither working nor seeking work--19 percent of the weeks. (See table 4.) As a whole, individuals with higher levels of educational attainment were employed for a higher percentage of weeks and unemployed for a lower percentage of weeks than individuals with lower levels of education. The percentage of weeks not in the labor force decreased with increases in educational attainment. Men were more active in the labor market than women from ages 18 to 32. As a whole, they spent less time not in the labor force than women (16 percent compared with 23 percent) and more time employed (78 percent compared with 72 percent). This relationship held at all levels of educational attainment except among those with a bachelor's degree. Women with a bachelor's degree and higher spent the same proportion of weeks employed as similarly educated men (81 percent) and the same time not in the labor force (16 percent). Employment gaps existed between racial and ethnic groups. On average, Whites were employed during 77 percent of the weeks that occurred from age 18 through age 32, Hispanics or Latinos were employed during 74 percent of the weeks, and Blacks were employed during 66 percent of the weeks. The employment gap between Whites and Blacks is more pronounced at lower levels of educational attainment. White high school dropouts spent 56 percent of weeks employed from ages 18 through 32, while Black dropouts spent 37 percent of weeks employed during these ages. The gap is smaller among those who held a bachelor's degree. White college graduates spent 82 percent of weeks employed, while Black college graduates spent 79 percent of weeks employed. The employment gap between Hispanics or Latinos and Blacks is also more pronounced at lower levels of educational attainment. Hispanic or Latino dropouts spent 57 percent of weeks employed from ages 18 through 32, while Black dropouts spent 37 percent of weeks employed during these ages. Hispanic or Latino and Black college graduates spent a similar percentage of weeks employed (80 percent compared with 79 percent). Individuals spent 68 percent of weeks employed from ages 18 to 22, 78 percent of weeks employed from ages 23 to 27, and 78 percent of weeks employed from ages 28 to 32. Men spent a higher percentage of weeks employed in each subsequent age bracket, but this was not the case for women. Men spent 69 percent of weeks employed from ages 18 to 22; this increased to 81 percent of weeks from ages 23 to 27 and then increased slightly to 83 percent from ages 28 to 32. Women spent 68 percent of weeks employed from ages 18 to 22; this increased to 75 percent of weeks from ages 23 to 27, but decreased slightly to 73 percent from ages 28 to 32. Men were employed a higher percentage of weeks than women within all age brackets. (See table 5.) The employment gap between racial and ethnic groups also existed within each age bracket analyzed. Within all age brackets, Whites were employed a higher percentage of weeks than both Blacks and Hispanics or Latinos, and Hispanics or Latinos were employed a higher percentage of weeks than Blacks. As these individuals aged, they generally spent less time out of the labor force. Men spent 24 percent of weeks not in the labor force from 18 to 22 years of age, 12 percent of weeks from ages 23 to 27, and 11 percent from ages 28 to 32. Women spent 27 percent of weeks out of the labor force from ages 18 to 22, and 20 percent and 22 percent of weeks out of the labor force at ages 23 to 27 and ages 28 to 32, respectively. At older ages, women were nearly twice as likely as men to not be in the labor force. Partner Status and Employment Experiences At 25 years of age, 27 percent of Americans born during 1980-84 were married, 20 percent were cohabiting (unmarried and living with a partner), and 52 percent were single (not married and not living with a partner). Comparatively, at 33 years of age, 50 percent were married, 17 percent were cohabiting, and 33 percent were single. (See table 6.) At age 33, those with higher levels of education were more likely to be married and less likely to be cohabiting than those with lower levels of education. At the time of their 33rd birthday, 32 percent of high school dropouts, 42 percent of high school graduates with no college, 49 percent of individuals with some college or an associate degree, and 60 percent of college graduates were married. Twenty-eight percent of those with less than a high school diploma were cohabiting, compared with only 13 percent of those with a bachelor's degree and higher. Partner status varied greatly by race and ethnicity. Blacks were more likely to be single than either Whites or Hispanics or Latinos. At 33 years of age, 56 percent of Blacks were single, compared with 27 percent of Whites and 36 percent of Hispanics or Latinos. Blacks were also significantly less likely to be married than either Whites or Hispanics or Latinos (30 percent compared with 56 percent and 45 percent, respectively). At both ages 25 and 33, women were significantly more likely to be married and less likely to be single than men. By their 33rd birthday, 53 percent of women were married, 30 percent were single, and 17 percent were cohabiting, while 46 percent of men were married, 36 percent were single, and 18 percent were cohabiting. Women were also more likely to be married than men at each level of educational attainment. Compared with individuals who were single at age 33, those who were married worked more weeks from ages 18 to 32, spent fewer weeks unemployed, and spent fewer weeks not in the labor force. From ages 18 to 32, single individuals spent 70 percent of weeks employed, 8 percent of weeks unemployed, and 22 percent of weeks not in the labor force, while those who were married spent 78 percent of weeks employed, 4 percent of weeks unemployed, and 18 percent of weeks not in the labor force. Cohabiting individuals spent 74 percent of weeks employed, 7 percent of weeks unemployed, and 19 percent of weeks not in the labor force. (See table 7.) Men accounted for most of the variation in employment experiences by partner status. Married men worked more weeks, were unemployed fewer weeks, and were less likely to be not in the labor force than either single or cohabiting men. Married men spent 84 percent of weeks employed, compared with 71 percent for single men and 77 percent for cohabiting men. They spent 5 percent of weeks unemployed, compared with 8 percent for both single men cohabiting men. Married men spent 12 percent of weeks out of the labor force, compared with 21 percent for single men and 15 percent for cohabiting men. In contrast, there were limited differences in the employment experiences of women by partner status. Married women were employed a slightly higher percentage of weeks than non-married women (73 percent compared with 69 percent for single women and 71 percent for cohabiting women) and were unemployed a lower percentage of weeks than either single or cohabiting women (4 percent compared with 8 percent and 6 percent, respectively). Married individuals also worked more weeks than single individuals within racial and ethnic groups. Married Whites spent a higher percentage of weeks employed than single Whites (79 percent compared with 73 percent), married Blacks spent a higher percentage of weeks employed than single Blacks (72 percent compared with 63 percent), and married Hispanics or Latinos spent a higher percentage of weeks employed than single Hispanics or Latinos (76 percent compared with 72 percent).