Trends in Voluntary and Involuntary Job Turnover

Abstract

There has been some controversy recently about whether and how much job security has been declining in the United States. This article uses data from the National Longitudinal Surveys to show that young men became more likely to change jobs over the period from 1971 to 1990. For whites, this increase is mostly attributable to an increase in the probability of involuntary job change. For nonwhites, the probability of voluntary and involuntary job change both increased.

Job Search and Voluntary Turnover in a Boundaryless world: a Control Theory Perspective

“…The pressure to stay lean has made organizations hesitant to develop long-term relationships with employees whose skill sets might become outdated (Greenhaus, Callanan, & DiRenzo, 2008), thus producing rising job loss and declines in job tenure and job stability over the past few decades (Bansak & Raphael, 2006;Boisjoly et al, 1998;Farber, 1995Farber, , 2005Kalleberg, 2009;Marcotte, 1996;Marcotte & Hartman, 1995;Monks & Pizer, 1998;Neumark et al, 1999;Polsky, 1999;Rose, 1995;Valletta, 1998). Organizations have increasingly turned to the external labor market to acquire new capabilities, providing timely skills consistent with organizational objectives while freeing the firms from long-term relationships with potentially less valuable employees (Greenhaus et al, 2008).…”

“…Despite these recent theoretical advances, we believe that it is an opportune time to reexamine the job search and voluntary turnover process in light of an increasingly turbulent economy (Boisjoly, Duncan, & Smeeding, 1998;Comin & Mulani, 2006;Comin & Philippon, 2005;Farber, Haltiwanger, & Abraham;Jaeger & Stevens, 1999;Marcotte, 1996;Marcotte & Hartman, 1995;Stewart, 2002) that has produced a substantial loss of jobs over the past twenty years (Bansak & Raphael, 2006;Farber, 1995Farber, , 2005Kalleberg, 2009;Marcotte, 1996;Marcotte & Hartman, 1995;Monks & Pizer, 1998;Neumark, Polsky, & Hansen, 1999;Polsky, 1999;Rose, 1995;Valletta, 1998). In subsequent sections of this article, we argue that economic turbulence places a premium on employees' ongoing efforts to assess and enhance their employability, which, we believe, has significant implications for the processes that underlie job search and voluntary turnover.…”

Is Job Stability in the US Falling? Reconciling Trends in the Current Population Survey and Panel Study of Income Dynamics

“…Our results from the PSID are quite consistent with his finding of some increase in job mobility for young men over this time period. We should also note that two other recent studies using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, by Monks and Pizer (1996) and Berhnhardt, Morris, Handcock, and Scott (1998), find an increase in turnover among young men from the 1970s to the 1980s. We believe that the lack of CPS-based evidence for such an increase over this time period is not necessarily informative given the potential problems with comparability of the CPS between the two decades.…”

The impact of structural dynamics on job mobility rates in the United States

“…The decline in job security was more salient for less educated workers than it was for those with greater labor market resources (Farber 1997;Monks and Pizer 1998;Neumark, Polsky, and Hansen 1999). This reflects a more fundamental change in American corporations during this period.…”