Occupational Mobility and Life Cycle

Abstract

Opportunities for career mobility differ by age and length of service in the organisation. The propensity to change jobs declines throughout a working career, notably in the first ten years and after age 45. Taking up a job in a new organisation brings greater rewards in terms of pay and involves a lower risk of breaks in employment if the move occurs early in ones career. Positive prospects for internal mobility range over a longer time frame, levelling off at around age 45. Internal mobility proves to be more advantageous than external mobility. Employers play a significant role in mobility as they are partly responsible for more than four job changes in ten. Women are more exposed to external mobility and far more vulnerable to breaks in employment; men experience more internal mobility opportunities, and more than half of those leaving their organisations are able to control their terms of departure.Inter-firm Mobility, Internal Mobility, Promotion, Age, Tenure, Gender