1998 Number of Jobs, Labor Market Experience, and Earnings Growth: Results from a National Longitudinal Survey — 1998-06-24

The average person in the U.S. holds 8.6 different jobs from the ages of 18 to 32, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. The majority of the job changes take place between the ages of 18 and 27. These findings are from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, a survey of 9,964 young men and women who were 14 to 22 years of age when first interviewed in 1979 and 31 to 39 when last interviewed in 1996. The survey provides information on work and nonwork experiences, training, schooling, income and assets, health conditions, and other characteristics. This release focuses on three aspects of labor market behavior: Number of jobs held, labor force participation, and earnings growth. Highlights from the longitudinal survey include: --The average number of jobs held while ages 18 to 22 was 4.4.