Duke Workforce Demographics: Longer Tenure Than National Average

After two job layoffs in less than five years, Betty Jones was relieved when she got the staff assistant position at Duke.

"I remember thinking 'no more interviews, no more job searching,'" she said. "I was looking for stability, and that's what Duke offered."

That was 10 years ago.

Jones is not alone in seeing Duke as a solid place to stay: the average length of service for Duke staff and faculty is 9.09 years, more than double the national average of 4.4 years in the education and hospital industry.

Meanwhile, the number of people applying to work at Duke is steadily increasing. In 2008, an average of 7,714 individuals applied for work each month. This year, the monthly average rose to 12,459. In August alone, there were 14,074 applicants for 1,121 open jobs.

Kyle Cavanaugh, vice president for administration, said the long employee tenure and consistently high job applicant numbers reflect the stature of the university.

"The combination of excellent benefits, the inclusive environment and the sense that the Duke team is making a difference in education, health and research is hard to beat," he said.

For Jones, the relief of being hired by the Alumni Association at Duke has been followed by the pride of professional development. Four years ago, she was promoted to staff specialist and is now the primary contact for all regional alumni events.

"I plan to stay at Duke until I retire," Jones said. "It's just too good to leave."