Table 5. Duration of employment relationship with a single employer for all jobs from age 18 through age 24 in 1998-2009
by educational attainment, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

                                                                      Percent distribution of duration of employment
                                                           Percent                    relationships
                                                            ever                More than 1             Ongoing at
Characteristic                                             held a      1 year    year but    2 years   the 2009-10
                                                            job       or less   less than    or more     survey
                                                                                 2 years

Total, ages 18 to 24 in 1998-2009 ........................  98.4        55.9      13.8        10.7         19.6
  Less than a high school diploma ........................  94.4        64.4      11.6         7.1         16.9
  High school graduates, never enrolled in college (1) ...  98.2        55.2      13.1        10.6         21.1
  Some college or associate degree .......................  98.7        54.8      14.3        11.4         19.5
  Bachelor's degree or more (2) ..........................  99.5        55.3      14.3        11.0         19.3

Men ......................................................  98.1        55.4      13.0        10.4         21.2
  Less than a high school diploma ........................  95.5        61.1      11.7         8.0         19.3
  High school graduates, never enrolled in college (1) ...  98.1        54.3      12.8        10.1         22.8
  Some college or associate degree .......................  98.2        54.6      13.6        11.1         20.7
  Bachelor's degree or more (2) ..........................  98.9        56.0      12.7        10.5         20.8

Women ....................................................  98.7        56.4      14.5        11.1         18.0
  Less than a high school diploma ........................  93.0        68.7      11.4         6.0         13.8
  High school graduates, never enrolled in college (1) ...  98.2        56.4      13.5        11.4         18.7
  Some college or associate degree .......................  99.1        55.1      15.0        11.6         18.3
  Bachelor's degree or more (2) ..........................   (3)        54.8      15.5        11.5         18.2

White, non-Hispanic ......................................  98.9        55.7      13.8        11.2         19.3
  Less than a high school diploma ........................  96.5        66.2      10.9         7.4         15.6
  High school graduates, never enrolled in college (1) ...  98.7        54.1      12.9        11.2         21.8
  Some college or associate degree .......................  98.8        55.1      14.0        12.3         18.6
  Bachelor's degree or more (2) ..........................  99.7        55.6      14.7        10.8         18.9

Black, non-Hispanic ......................................  96.5        60.4      12.7         8.3         18.7
  Less than a high school diploma ........................  87.8        69.3      11.4         5.0         14.3
  High school graduates, never enrolled in college (1) ...  95.9        62.2      12.8         7.5         17.5
  Some college or associate degree .......................  98.7        58.2      12.9         8.2         20.6
  Bachelor's degree or more (2) ..........................  99.6        55.3      12.9        12.6         19.2

Hispanic  or Latino ......................................  98.6        52.0      14.4        10.6         23.0
  Less than a high school diploma ........................  95.6        56.3      13.2         7.8         22.6
  High school graduates, never enrolled in college (1) ...  98.7        52.0      13.4        11.8         22.8
  Some college or associate degree .......................  98.7        51.1      15.6        10.6         22.8
  Bachelor's degree or more (2) ..........................   (3)        49.8      14.1        11.6         24.5

   1 Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent.
   2 Includes persons with bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degrees or professional degrees such as law or medical
degrees.
   3 Number rounds to 100 percent.
   NOTE: This table excludes individuals who  had not yet turned age 25 when interviewed in 2009-10.
The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 consists of young men and women who were ages 12 to 16 on
December 31, 1996. Race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity groups are mutually exclusive but not exhaustive. Other
race groups, which are included in the overall totals, are not shown separately because their representation in the
survey sample is not sufficiently large to provide statistically reliable estimates. Educational attainment is
determined as of age 24.