Individuals born from 1980 to 1984 held an average of 6.2 jobs from ages 18 to 26
WASHINGTON (March 26, 2014) — Young adults born in the early 1980s held an average of 6.2 jobs from age 18 through age 26, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over two-thirds of these jobs were held from ages 18 to 22. 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 young 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 26 to 32 when interviewed for the 15th time in 2011-12. The survey provides information on work and nonwork 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 household composition of these individuals from their 18th birthday until they turned 27.
Highlights from the longitudinal survey include:
• By 27 years of age, 32 percent of women had received a bachelor’s degree, compared with 24 percent of men. Nine percent of men were high school dropouts compared to 8 percent of women.
• Individuals born from 1980 to 1984 held an average of 6.2 jobs from ages 18 to 26. The number of jobs held varies by education for women but not for men.
• High school graduates who had never enrolled in college were employed an average of 68 percent of the weeks from ages 18 to 22, and 74 percent of weeks from ages 23 to 26. In comparison, those who had dropped out of high school were employed 51 percent of weeks from ages 18 to 22, and 57 percent of weeks from ages 23 to 26.
• Over two-thirds of the jobs held by high school dropouts from age 18 to 26 were held less than a year and 10 percent were held 2 years or more. For those with a bachelor’s degree or more, approximately 50 percent of jobs were held less than a year and 14 percent held 2 years or more.
• Thirty-four percent of young adults were married at age 27, while 20 percent were cohabiting and 47 percent were single. On average, young adults with more education were more likely to be married and less likely to be cohabiting.
• Young adults who were single at age 27 were employed 70 percent of the weeks from ages 18 to 26, compared to 77 percent of weeks for those who were married and 72 percent of weeks, for those who were cohabiting.
• Nearly 41 percent of young adults had their own or their partner’s child in the household at age 27. Sixty-five percent of married individuals had at least one child in the home, compared with 21 percent of single individuals and 48 percent of those who were cohabiting.
• Women with children in their household at age 27 were employed 65 percent of weeks from age 18 to 26 compared to 76 percent of weeks for women without children in their home. Conversely, men tended to work more weeks if they had children in the household than if they did not (79 percent of weeks versus 73 percent).
Educational attainment at age 27
At 27 years of age, 28 percent of individuals had received their bachelor’s degree while 38 percent had attended some college or received an associate’s degree. Eighteen percent of 27 year-olds had a high school diploma and no further schooling, and 7 percent had earned a General Educational Development(GED) credential and no further schooling.
Women were more likely than men to have received a bachelor’s degree. Thirty-two percent of women had earned a bachelor’s degree, compared with 24 percent of men. In total, 70 percent of women had either attended some college or received a bachelor’s degree, compared to 61 percent of men. In addition to being more likely to attend college, women were more likely to have finished their college degree. Of the 70 percent of women who started college, 46 percent completed their bachelor’s degree by age 27. In comparison, of the 61 percent of men who started college, 39 percent had completed their bachelor’s degree.
At age 27, there was a large difference in educational attainment among racial and ethnic groups. Non-Hispanic blacks and Hispanics were more likely than whites not to have obtained a high school diploma. In comparison, whites were more than twice as likely as blacks or Hispanics to have received their bachelor’s degree by this age. Thirty-three percent of whites had received their bachelor’s degree at age 27, compared with 15 percent of blacks or Hispanics. Among those who had attended college, whites were more likely than blacks or Hispanics to have received a bachelor’s degree. Just over one-quarter of blacks and Hispanics who had attended college had received a bachelor’s degree by age 27, compared to nearly one-half of whites.
Employment attachment of young adults from age 18 through age 26
Individuals had an average of 6.2 jobs from the ages of 18 through 26 in 1998-2011. On average, men held 6.0 jobs and women held 6.3 jobs. In this news release, a job is defined as a period of work, including gaps, with a particular employer.
On average, young adults were employed during 73 percent of all the weeks occurring from age 18 through age 26. They were unemployed — that is, without jobs but seeking work — 6 percent of the weeks. They were not in the labor force — that is, neither working nor seeking work — 21 percent of the weeks.
Overall, men at these ages spent more time employed and less time out of the labor force than women, but this varied greatly by education. Men with less than a high school diploma spent 62 percent of weeks employed from ages 18 to 26. In comparison, women with less than a high school diploma spent 43 percent of weeks employed. Women without a high school diploma spent 47 percent of weeks from ages 18 to 26 out of the labor force, more weeks than they did employed. Women with a bachelor’s degree or more education spent a larger proportion of weeks employed than did similarly educated men (77 percent versus 71 percent) and less time out of the labor force (20 percent versus 26 percent).
The amount of time employed also differed between educational-attainment groups by race, especially among blacks. From ages 18 to 26, blacks with less than a high school diploma were employed 39 percent of all weeks. In comparison, black high school graduates who had never enrolled in college were employed 59 percent of weeks, and blacks with a bachelor’s degree or more education were employed 71 percent of weeks from ages 18 to 26.
Examining these data by smaller age ranges reveals that despite being in the labor force a greater percentage of weeks, individuals held fewer jobs from ages 23 to 26 than they did from ages 18 to 22. While ages 18 to 22, individuals held an average of 4.3 jobs and were out of the labor force 26 percent of weeks. From ages 23 to 26, individuals held 2.7 jobs while being out of the labor force 16 percent of weeks. This pattern was similar for all gender, racial, and ethnic groups at all levels of educational attainment.
Employment differences by education began early in workers’ careers. From ages 18 to 22, high school dropouts were employed 51 percent of weeks, and out of the labor force 36 percent of weeks. In comparison, high school graduates worked 68 percent of weeks from ages 18 to 22, and were out of the labor force for 23 percent of weeks. This pattern persisted at later ages. From ages 23 to 26, high school dropouts worked 57 percent of weeks and were out of the labor force for 32 percent of weeks, compared to high school graduates, who worked 74 percent of weeks and were out of the labor force 19 percent of weeks. The labor force participation of college graduates underwent the greatest change. For college graduates, the percent of weeks worked rose from 66 percent at ages 18 to 22, to 85 percent at ages 23 to 26. These individuals spent 31 percent of weeks out of the labor force from ages 18 to 22, but only 12 percent of weeks out of the labor force from ages 23 to 26, less than all other educational attainment categories.
The racial employment gap was more pronounced at lower levels of educational attainment. From ages 23 to 26, white dropouts spent 59 percent of weeks employed and 29 percent of weeks out of the labor force, while black dropouts spent 44 percent of weeks employed and 42 percent of weeks out of the labor force. This difference is much smaller among those who held a bachelor’s degree. At the same ages, white college graduates spent 11 percent of weeks out of the labor force and 86 percent of weeks employed and black college graduates spent 11 percent of weeks out of the labor force and 84 percent of weeks employed.
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