How long do you plan to stay in your job? If you’re in the technology field, it’s likely to be longer than the national median, according to figures released Tuesday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Overall, the U.S. median for all industries grew from 4.4 years in January 2010 to 4.6 years by January 2012. But in the computer and electronic products industry, workers there – ranging from developers to secretaries - rose from 5.9 years in 2010 to 7.7 years in 2012. That’s several years longer than the national median. Telecommunications employees are also a loyal bunch, going from a median tenure of 6.6 years in 2010 to 7.4 years this year. The professional and technical services industry, however, didn’t fare as well and has a more transient group, with the median number of years rising from 4.0 in 2010 to 4.4 years in 2012. It came in under the national median in both years.
In a June report, Tom Silver, SVP North America of Dice, noted
tech workers’ reluctance to change employers:
“Our customers tell us it’s hard to entice tech professionals out of their current positions. There is just not enough confidence for professionals to leave what they know behind and take a chance with their careers.” However, younger workers are more likely to take a new position. The BLS report found that overall the median tenure for employees age 65 and over was 10.3 years in January 2012, compared with 3.2 years for workers age 25 to 34. For employees in the prime of their career, the BLS found more than half of all workers age 55 and over were employed for at least 10 years with their current employer in January 2012, compared with 13 percent of workers age 30 to 34. The reluctance to change could be short-lived, according to a Kelly Services survey of more than 10,000 IT workers. Only 31 percent believed their current employer provided a road to career growth and development, while 55 percent believed that road meant changing employers. And the Kelly report says those most likely to leave were Gen X, 57 percent, and middle managers, 59 percent.
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Year 2012 by Bigstock 
