Employment Stability in the U.S. Labor Market: Rhetoric versus Reality

Most Americans believe that employment stability has declined in recent decades. Initial efforts to document this trend empirically, however, produced mixed results, and so research lost momentum. This review shows that evidence of declines in employment stability is stronger than originally portrayed and that therefore the field deserves renewed attention, particularly in light of the current recession. Research shows consistent declines in employment stability among private-sector male workers but more complex trends for female and public-sector workers. Future research should not only seek to better document these trends but go further by investigating their possible causes and broader consequences. Additionally, although changes have occurred, they do not match the strength of public perceptions. Further work is necessary, therefore, to understand this contradiction and the changing role of employment in American society.