Job Mobility and the Careers of Young Men

Authors:
  • RTRobert H. Topel
    Robert H. Topel
  • MWMichael P. Ward
    Michael P. Ward
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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.