Job mobility and the careers of young men

RH Topel, MP Ward - The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 1992 - academic.oup.com
RH Topel, MP Ward
The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 1992academic.oup.com
Using longitudinal data, we study the processes of job mobility and wage growth among
young men. During the first ten years in the labor market, a typical worker will hold seven
jobs, about two thirds of his career total. The evolution of wages plays a key role in this
transition to stable employment: wage gains at job changes account for at least a third of
early-career wage growth, and the wage is the key determinant of job changing decisions
among young workers. Job changing is a critical component of workers' movement toward …
Abstract
Using longitudinal data, we study the processes of job mobility and wage growth among young men. During the first ten years in the labor market, a typical worker will hold seven jobs, about two thirds of his career total. The evolution of wages plays a key role in this transition to stable employment: wage gains at job changes account for at least a third of early-career wage growth, and the wage is the key determinant of job changing decisions among young workers. Job changing is a critical component of workers' movement toward the stable employment relations of mature careers.
Oxford University Press