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People born in early 1980s held an average of 8.6 jobs from ages 18 through 34

April 15, 2022

People born in 1980–84 held an average of 8.6 jobs from ages 18 through 34. Women held an average of 8.7 jobs, and men held an average of 8.5 jobs. Women with higher levels of education held more jobs than women with lower levels. Women with a bachelor's degree or more education held 9.1 jobs from ages 18 through 34, compared with 6.8 jobs for female high school dropouts. Men held a similar number of jobs regardless of their level of education.

Average number of jobs held from age 18 through age 34 in 1998–2019 by educational attainment and sex
Characteristic Total Men Women

Total

8.6 8.5 8.7

Less than a high school diploma

7.8 8.5 6.8

High school graduates, no college

7.9 8.2 7.3

Some college or associate degree

9.0 8.9 9.1

Bachelor's degree and higher

8.8 8.3 9.1

People held an average of 5.1 jobs over the 6 years from ages 18 to 23. The average number of jobs dropped to 3.3 over the 6 years from ages 24 to 29. People held an average of 2.1 jobs over the 5 years from ages 30 to 34. The pattern of people holding fewer jobs as they aged was similar among women and men and across racial and ethnic groups and levels of education.

These data are from the National Longitudinal Surveys. For more information, see "Labor Market Experience, Education, Partner Status, and Health for Those Born 1980–1984." A job is defined as a period of work, including gaps, with a particular employer.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, People born in early 1980s held an average of 8.6 jobs from ages 18 through 34 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2022/people-born-in-early-1980s-held-an-average-of-8-6-jobs-from-ages-18-through-34.htm (visited March 28, 2024).

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