Debunking the Job-Hopping Myth: A Data-Driven Look at Tenure and Turnover Among Younger Workers
A common narrative about Millennials and Generation Z workers is that they frequently switch jobs. However, research finds that younger workers today show job retention patterns that closely mirror previous generations at the same stage of their careers.
Debunking the Job-Hopping Myth: A Data-Driven Look at Tenure and Turnover Among Younger Workers uses decades of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and additional independent research to examine employee tenure across generations.
The research finds:
Median job tenure is nearly identical across generations. Workers aged 25–34 in 2024 (Millennials and Gen Z) had a median tenure of 2.7 years, only slightly lower than Baby Boomers at the same age in 1983.
Economic conditions, rather than generational attitudes, drive worker turnover. Quit rates rise during strong economies and fall during recessions, as seen during the 2008 Great Recession and the 2020 pandemic. (See Figure 2 below)
Public sector benefits promote retention. State and local government employees have significantly lower quit rates due to more widespread access to pensions and healthcare benefits.
Industry differences shape job stability. Manufacturing jobs, which traditionally offer stronger benefits, show higher retention rates compared to retail and professional services.
Florida’s Property Tax Initiative and the Unexpected Connection to Retirement Security
Property-tax relief could help homeowners facing rising costs—but what could it mean for the services they rely on and the retirement benefits of the public employees who provide them?
Recorded before a live audience at the Florida Public Pension Trustees Association conference, this Special Edition of Retirement in America examines Florida’s proposed property-tax changes, known as Amendment 3. The conversation looks beyond next year’s tax bill to consider how reduced revenues could affect staffing, emergency response, infrastructure, local control and public pension funding over time.
Watch this Special Edition Episode, Florida’s Property Tax Initiative and the Unexpected Connection to Retirement Security, below.
Workforce Turnover and Retention in the Public Sector: Insights from Public Pension Plans
This report examines how retention changes over public employees’ careers and varies across public workforces and retirement systems. The analysis draws on actuarial turnover assumptions and other information collected from 136 state-administered public pension plans representing 203 plan-employee groups and 12.8 million active members.
