One Career, One Employer—Are Employment Histories Changing?

The “one job for life”?

That was more the exception than the rule even in the past. A recent analysis of administrative labor market data by the IAB shows, moreover, that the claim that employment histories are becoming increasingly unstable does not hold true across the board. Even older generations rarely had just one employer. During the middle phase of their working lives (ages 35 to 49) for those born between 1957 and 1974, only 38% of employees had a single employer. The overall average is just under three employers, which shows that even for today’s retirees, a lifelong job was not the norm.

Differences are particularly evident between genders, working phases, and regions. Men have a higher total number of employers than women, with men in eastern Germany changing employers the most frequently. On average across all phases of employment, their number of employers ranges from 2.2 to 3.2. Looking at the number of employer changes during the respective phases of employment, it is also notable that changes occur most frequently in the early phase of employment and decline significantly over time. Overall, the data do not indicate a comprehensive decline in employment stability across age groups.

On the other hand, changing jobs is often a benefit. According to a new study from Rutgers University, so-called “job hoppers” settle into new positions more than twice as fast as other new hires and adapt more flexibly to new teams. Changing employers several times is therefore neither a trend started by younger generations nor a blemish on one’s resume.

We were also interested in these topics:

• New priorities at work: A higher salary is nice, but it’s not everything. As the study “Employers of the Future 2026/27” shows, young employees today place significantly more value on work-life balance, team cohesion, and flexibility than on the maximum amount on their pay stubs.

• AI as a Salary Brake: Many companies expect AI to drive down wages over the next five years. A new ifo survey shows this, and it primarily affects low-skilled workers and those just starting their careers. For experienced professionals with college degrees, however, some companies actually see opportunities for salary increases through the use of AI.

• Be Careful on Social Media: What you post in your free time is generally a private matter. However, according to Handelsblatt, things become problematic if there’s a connection to the workplace—whether through photos in work attire or the disclosure of internal information. In such cases, damage to one’s reputation could lead to consequences under labor law, including termination.

This text first appeared as an editorial in the weekly politjobs newsletter. If you’d like to receive this newsletter—featuring the latest jobs in the political arena—directly by email every Wednesday, you can subscribe here.