"There is a popular view that jobs are no longer for life and that movement in the labour market is increasing. In 1996 half of all employees had been working for the same firm for five years or less. This had fallen to four years by 2001. In 2001 49 per cent of those in the 18-24 age group were in the same job as 12 months ago compared with 86 per cent for those aged 50 and over.Flexibility is an important characteristic in the labour market as it means labour can adjust efficiently to any change or shock the market is exposed to. Therefore the ability of people to move between different jobs (job mobility), the length of time someone remains in post (job tenure) and the number of people who remain in post for over a year (job retention) are examined. The general level of movements in the labour market is investigated. Then a more detailed study is carried out looking at the personal characteristics, the individual's work, the industry and environment the employee encounters in everyday work and, at how these influence mobility. The data are presented for the period 1996-2001. Two datasets have been used in the completion of this piece, the New Earnings Survey Panel Dataset (NESPD) and the Labour Force Survey (LFS). This article is part of a series looking at flexibility in the labour market, which also includes ‘Migration within Britain for job reasons' by S. Dixon in Labour Market Trends."

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