Abstract
Based on the European Community Labour Force Survey and on similar surveys in Japan and the USA from 1992 to 2002. Explores whether employment tenure (defined as the amount of time a worker has spent working for the same employer) inhibits or contributes to productivity and whether there is an optimum level of tenure for promoting productivity. Proposes an econometric analysis of the relationship between tenure and productivity in 13 European countries and looks at the impact of labour market institutions on employment tenure.