Millions of people are currently scouring want ads and the Internet, looking for new employment opportunities. Some are out of work, some are worried a pink slip is on its way, and some are just plain dissatisfied with the job they have now. The days of getting a job straight out of school and sticking to it for decades seem long gone. Are there any companies left holding out the promise of a gold watch in return for years of service?
Even before the current recession, the odds a person in their early-to mid-career would change jobs multiple times was high. The odds of having at least 15 jobs between the ages of 18 and 42 are 1 in 4.39.
The odds of holding 11 to 14 jobs between those same ages are actually slightly lower at 1 in 4.67. And the odds of having between two and four jobs in that same time are far lower—1 in 8.
At the other end of the scale—and a consolation in difficult economic times—the odds a person aged 18 to 42 will have no job or just one job are a striking 1 in 83.33.
Level of education seems to have a limited effect on the number of jobs a person may have. The odds that a person with less than a high school diploma will have at least 15 jobs between the ages of 18 and 42 are 1 in 3.92. Odds of a person with some college education or an associate’s degree having the same number of jobs in the same time frame are 1 in 4.22; with a bachelor’s degree or more, 1 in 4.39.
Gender by itself also has a slight effect on employment odds. The odds a man will have at least 15 jobs between the ages of 18 and 42 are 1 in 4.12; for a woman, the odds are slightly less likely at 1 in 4.74.
But if you take both education and gender into account, the results show a greater disparity. The odds a woman with a bachelor’s degree or more will have at least 15 jobs between the ages of 18 and 42 are 1 in 3.76. For a man, the odds are 1 in 5.21.
The less the education, the greater the chances of more jobs—especially for men. The odds a man with less than a high school diploma will have at least 15 jobs between the ages of 18 and 42 are 1 in 2.99. For women with the same level of education, the odds are a good deal less: 1 in 7.09.