Work Injuries and Illnesses by Length of Service
Detailed nonfatal data starting in 2021-2022
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has transitioned from an annual to a biennial (every two years) publication schedule. The final publication of a single year of cases involving days away from work estimates was for reference year 2020. BLS now publishes detailed data covering 2021 and 2022 for days away from work (DAFW), days of job transfer or restriction (DJTR), and days away from work, job restriction, or transfer (DART) cases.
New event and part of body categories starting in 2023
BLS updated the Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System starting with the 2023 data year. The update includes changes to how injury and illness events are classified. This change is considered a data break, therefore, comparing counts to previous years is not always possible. When counts are available, comparisons should be done with caution. Currently, 2023-2024 nonfatal data are using the new classification categories.
Tenure is closely linked to employee demographics and safety outcomes. Workers with less than one year on the job – who account for 22.2% of the workforce – experienced 33% of the DART cases in 2023-2024. Employees with less tenure may be at higher risk of workplace injuries due to limited experience, unfamiliarity with hazards and incomplete training. This is particularly relevant for younger employees, where 70.3% of those ages 16 to 19 fall into this short-tenure category. Among workers with less than three months of tenure, 73% of the DART cases in 2023-2024 impacted employees younger than 20 years of age.
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Male and female workers show broadly similar tenure distributions, though small variations appear at both the shorter and longer ends of the spectrum. Female workers are slightly more likely to have lower tenure compared to male workers. In 2024, 23% of female workers had tenure of 12 months or less compared to 21% of male workers. In contrast, 10% of male workers have tenure of 20 or more years compared to 9% of female workers.
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Age has the strongest link to tenure. Younger workers, particularly those ages 16 to 19, overwhelmingly have lower tenure, with 70.3% having 12 months or less tenure and virtually none reaching long-term tenure. In contrast, older workers demonstrate higher levels of tenure; among workers ages 55 to 64, 27.5% have been with their employer for 20 years or more, and similar patterns persist among those 65 and older. Mid-career groups tend to cluster in intermediate tenure ranges, especially between three and nine years of employment.
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Differences among race and Hispanic origin groups show that Black or African American workers as well as Hispanic or Latino workers tend to have lower tenure than do either white or Asian workers. In 2024, about 40% of Black or African American workers and Hispanic or Latino workers had tenure of two years or less compared to about 35% for white or Asian workers.
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Use the interactive dashboard to explore nonfatal injury and illness trends by tenure group. The type of injury or illness event appears closely associated with tenure groups. Employees with less than three months tenure, who also tend to be younger, are more likely to experience struck-by or contact injuries. In contrast, employees with more than five years of tenure, who also tend to be older, are more likely to experience slip or trip injuries, injuries due to overexertion or repetitive task injuries.
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Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2024). Employee Tenure in 2024, USDL-24-1971. Downloaded on 6-20-2026 from: https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/tenure.pdf.