Calculation of returns to job tenure revisited

Abstract

This study considers the robustness of the effects on wages of job tenure and work experience among white adult men in the United States. The Survey of Income and Programme Participation data is used from 1983–1992 and the same methodology is also used to generate results to compare to earlier findings for Panel Study of Income Dynamics data from 1968–1983. Results are remarkably consistent across data sets and time periods in finding significant returns to job tenure, although a slightly flatter wage growth profile is found.