The objective was to study the career trajectories of employees with upper limb musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and employees with musculoskeletal pain, compared to employees without pain. Between 2002 and 2005, 83 occupational physicians examined 3,710 randomly selected employees. Three groups received a questionnaire between 2007 and 2009: an “MS-MS” group (employees diagnosed with an MS-MS); an “MS Pain” group (employees reporting upper limb pain during the preceding seven days but without a confirmed MS); an “Asymptomatic” group (employees with no pain or confirmed disorder). Among the 2,287 respondents studied, 79.3% were still working in the “MSD-MS” group, 85.9% in the “MS Pain” group, and 90.4% in the “Asymptomatic” group. Among those still working, 24% had changed jobs within the same company in the "MS Pain" group, 21% in the "MS-MS" group, and 19% in the "Asymptomatic" group. This study demonstrates the impact of musculoskeletal pain and MS-MS on career outcomes. (R.A.)