Job hopping is easier to talk about than to measure, and the 2026 numbers cut against the stereotype. The median US wage and salary worker has now been with their current employer 4.1 years, up from 3.9 in January 2024, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Short stints are still concentrated among the youngest workers: 20.6% of all workers have 12 months or less with their employer, and 45.9% of workers aged 20 to 24 do. Randstad’s research puts the average Gen Z job stint in the first five years of work at 1.1 years, versus 2.8 for Gen X. For employers in energy, construction, manufacturing and transportation, the useful question is where tenure is slipping and where it is holding. This page breaks it down by age, industry, pay and early-tenure turnover.
Summary / Key statistics at a glance
- 4.1 years: median tenure for US wage and salary workers in January 2026, up from 3.9 years in January 2024 (BLS Employee Tenure).
- 20.6%: share of workers with 12 months or less of tenure in January 2026, down from 22.2% in January 2024 (BLS).
- 1.1 years: average Gen Z job stint in the first five years of work, versus 1.8 for millennials, 2.8 for Gen X and 2.9 for baby boomers, as of 2025 (Randstad).
- 22%: share of Gen Z workers who have already left a job within a year, versus 9% of millennials and 5% each of Gen X and boomers (Randstad, 2025).
- 5.0% vs 3.6%: median wage growth for job switchers versus job stayers in August 2026 (Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta).
- 4.7% vs 3.0%: annual base pay growth for job-changers versus job-stayers in August 2026 (ADP).
- 3.9 years vs 6.3 years: median tenure in construction versus utilities in January 2026 (BLS).
- 1.9%: monthly quits rate across the US economy in August 2026, or 3.1 million quits (BLS JOLTS).
- 83%: share of contractors that see turnover among new field employees within their first 90 days, in 2026 (Associated General Contractors).
- $63,000 vs $51,000: median energy-sector salary versus the national median salary in the 2026 report (US Department of Energy).
How common is job hopping in 2026?
Start with the headline measure. In January 2026, the BLS reported that median tenure for wage and salary workers was 4.1 years. Men sat at 4.3 years and women at 4.0 years, and the women’s figure rose from 3.6 years in 2024. The share of workers with a year or less on the job fell to 20.6% from 22.2% two years earlier.
Churn does not show up as a spike in the quit data either. The BLS JOLTS release for August 2026 counted 3.1 million quits, a 1.9% monthly rate, compared with 2.0% in August 2025. Employers hired 5.2 million people (a 3.3% rate) and let go of 1.6 million (1.0%). Quitting remains a modest slice of overall movement.
Career-long job counts put the numbers in context. A BLS longitudinal study of Americans born from 1957 to 1964 found they held an average of 12.9 jobs between ages 18 and 58, with more than 40% of those jobs coming before age 25 (an average of 5.6 jobs at ages 18 to 24). In other words, heavy job switching in the early career is not new. It is how workers have always sorted themselves into careers.
Job hopping by age and generation
Tenure rises steadily with age, which is the main reason “job hopper” labels attach to young workers. BLS median tenure in January 2026 by age group:
- 20 to 24: 1.5 years
- 25 to 34: 3.0 years (up from 2.7 in 2024)
- 35 to 44: 4.7 years
- 45 to 54: 7.0 years
- 55 to 64: 9.6 years
- 65 and over: 9.9 years
The share of workers with a year or less of tenure tells the same story. It is 74.1% for ages 16 to 19, 45.9% for ages 20 to 24, 25.5% for ages 25 to 34, 12.2% for ages 45 to 54 and 9.2% for ages 55 to 64.
Generational surveys show the same gradient. Randstad’s 2025 Gen Z research, which drew on 11,250 workers across 15 markets, found average tenure in the first five years of work of 1.1 years for Gen Z and 1.8 years for millennials. Gen X averaged 2.8 years and baby boomers 2.9 years. Gen Z workers were also far more likely to have already left a job within a year (22%) than millennials (9%) or older workers (5%).
The takeaway for recruiters is less about loyalty and more about timing. Early-career workers move more, and the 25 to 34 group is where the 2026 data shows the biggest recent gain in staying power.
Job hopping in energy, construction, manufacturing and transportation
The BLS January 2026 tenure data lets us compare the industries that Tall Trees Talent recruits in. Median tenure by industry, with January 2024 in parentheses:
- Utilities: 6.3 years (4.9)
- Petroleum and coal products manufacturing: 7.1 years (8.6)
- Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction: 4.9 years (5.7)
- Manufacturing overall: 4.9 years (4.9)
- Transportation and warehousing: 4.0 years (3.4)
- Construction: 3.9 years (4.2)
Two patterns stand out. Utilities employers now hold their people 2.4 years longer than construction employers do, and the gap widened over two years as utilities tenure grew by 1.4 years. Meanwhile, tenure in mining and oil and gas extraction fell by 0.8 years, and construction fell by 0.3 years. Compare those with leisure and hospitality, where median tenure is only 2.4 years.
By occupation, workers in construction and extraction occupations had a median tenure of 4.1 years (unchanged from 2024). Production occupations reached 4.3 years, installation, maintenance and repair 4.4 years (up from 3.9), and transportation and material moving 3.5 years (up from 3.2). Management and professional occupations had the highest median at 4.9 years, and service occupations the lowest at 2.9 years.
Quit rates add the current-month view. In August 2026, the JOLTS monthly quits rate was 1.8% in construction (flat year over year), 1.9% in transportation, warehousing and utilities (down from 2.0%), and 2.3% in mining and logging (up from 2.1%). Manufacturing moved the most. Its quits rate rose to 1.6% from 1.3%, and quits climbed to 197,000 from 159,000 a year earlier. For comparison, accommodation and food services ran at 3.5% and retail at 3.0%.
Does job hopping still pay? Switcher and stayer wages in 2026
For years, the argument for switching employers was the raise. The latest data suggests the premium is back. The Atlanta Fed’s Wage Growth Tracker showed median wage growth for people who changed jobs at 5.0% in August 2026, up from 4.4% in July. For job stayers it held at 3.6%, a gap of 1.4 percentage points. Overall median wage growth was 4.1%.
ADP’s August 2026 report points the same way on base pay: 4.7% annual growth for job-changers versus 3.0% for job-stayers, a gap of 1.7 points. ADP’s sector view shows median base pay growth of 4.0% in construction, 3.5% in manufacturing, and 3.3% each in natural resources and mining and in trade, transportation and utilities. Construction added 12,000 jobs in the month while manufacturing lost 17,000.
For hiring leaders, that gap is the retention math. A worker who stays gets a raise in the mid-3% range; one who leaves can expect something closer to 5%. If your compensation review cycle lags behind, you are paying the difference in turnover.
Early-tenure turnover: where employers lose people fastest
Long-run tenure averages hide the first-90-days problem. The 2026 Workforce Survey from the Associated General Contractors, which drew 1,830 responses in July and August 2026, found that 83% of firms experience turnover among new field employees in their first 90 days. Firms cited a mismatch between expectations and the realities of construction work, along with physical demands and scheduling. Contractors are responding with structured onboarding, regular check-ins, safety-focused orientations and mentor or buddy systems.
The same survey shows why every lost hire hurts. 87% of firms reported openings for hourly craft workers, and 88% of firms with craft openings said positions were as hard or harder to fill than a year earlier. Electricians topped the hard-to-fill list at 81%, followed by mechanics (79%), HVAC technicians (77%) and concrete workers (76%). In response, 55% of firms raised base pay for hourly craft workers by more than they had the year before. Contractors that want help filling skilled and leadership roles can explore construction recruiting built around industry-specific recruiters.
Emerging trends and what’s new in 2026
Tenure is up, not down. The January 2026 BLS release is the most recent look at the full workforce. Median tenure rose to 4.1 years from 3.9 in 2024, and the share of workers with 12 months or less fell by 1.6 percentage points. The data does not support a story of accelerating job hopping across the workforce.
The switcher premium has returned. Both the Atlanta Fed (5.0% versus 3.6%) and ADP (4.7% versus 3.0%) show switchers earning more again as of August 2026. The Atlanta Fed’s switcher reading jumped from 4.4% in July.
Manufacturing quits are rising. August 2026 manufacturing quits reached 197,000, up from 159,000 a year earlier, while construction and transportation held roughly flat. Plant managers should watch whether this persists.
Utilities and the grid are holding workers. Median utilities tenure reached 6.3 years, and the 2026 US Energy and Employment Report, based on a survey of about 42,000 establishments, found electric transmission and distribution added 17,900 workers (2% growth). The same report put the median energy-sector salary at $63,000, which is 24% above the national median of $51,000.
The apprenticeship pipeline is growing. New registered construction apprentices reached 112,000 in 2025, up 9% from 103,000 in 2024, per the Department of Energy’s report.
How Tall Trees Talent helps
Tall Trees Talent helps energy, construction, manufacturing and transportation employers fill individual contributor and manager-level roles with recruiters who have worked in those industries and understand the work. Learn more about Tall Trees Talent to see how it works.
