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I have two sentences below, what the difference between them? Which sentence imply now I still work in construction industry?

I have worked in construction industry for years

and

I have been working in construction industry for years

DJMcMayhem
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Nguyen Binh
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  • The 'present' in the name means that the activity is still in force. By contrast, you could suggest that you no longer work in the construction industry by using the simple perfect: "I worked in construction industry for years". – JavaLatte Mar 19 '16 at 15:59

1 Answers1

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The present perfect can be used to express the idea that one has experience in a particular area, even if one is not working in that area at present.

2014--present: lion tamer
2010-2014: underwater welder
2005-2010: spy

In 2016, you could say:

I have worked in underwater welding for years.

You do have that experience. But the present perfect does not clearly indicate that you are an underwater welder in your present job.

To convey the idea that you are still an underwater welder now:

2010-present: underwater welder
2005-2010: spy

you would say:

I have been working in underwater welding for years.

TimR
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  • +1 for the well-written contrast, but in your first case I think "I worked in underwater welding for years." would be better. It's just a minor criticism. :) – Kinzle B Mar 20 '16 at 01:51
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    @Kinzle B: We use the present perfect to convey the idea that the event or action from the past has relevance to the present. The simple past lacks that aspect. If the speaker used the simple past, a listener might get the idea that the speaker considers the underwater welding job to have no direct bearing upon the present situation. So, to convey the idea that it does have bearing, we would use the present perfect. "Do you have any construction experience? -- Yes, I've worked in underwater welding for years." Yes, I worked ... does not emphasize its present relevance. – TimR Mar 20 '16 at 10:43