Lifetime "career" changes

Occupational Outlook Quarterly, Summer 2006 by Terkanian, David

How many times does the average worker change careers? Statistically speaking, no one knows.

One idea that is commonly-but incorrectly- attributed to the U.S. Department of Labor is that people change careers about seven times in a lifetime. But the Labor Department does not gather that kind of data.

The major problem in collecting such data is the difficulty in defining what a "career change" is. Is it a switch in occupations or career fields? Maybe it's a promotion. What about workers who change employers but stay in the same occupation? Because there is no clear definition, accurate counting of career changers is difficult, if not impossible.

However, the Labor Department's U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) does collect data on job change: the switch from one employer to another or a switch from one occupation to another while working for the same employer. What's the number of job changes? The average is about 10 jobs for workers between ages 18 and 38, according to current data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979.

Whatever the average number of jobs or careers, one fact is certain: Most people make many changes during their working lives. To help, the Department of Labor provides job-market information and job-search advice. For more information, write to the U.S. Department of Labor, Frances Perkins Building, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, D.C. 20210; call toll-free, 1 (866) 4-USA-DOL (487-2365), TTY toll-free, 1 (877) 889-5627; or visit online, www.dol.gov/dol/audience/aud-unemployed.htm.

-Contributed by David Terkanian, BLS economist