“Great resignation” survey: 1 in 7 workers plan to quit their job before 2022

Written by Thomas Ahearn, editor-in-chief of the ESR News blog

A survey of American workers by ResumeBuilder.com, a resource for job seekers released in September 2021, found that the “big resignation” that caused a high number of voluntary “quits” in 2021 is not ended because 1 in 7 workers surveyed – around 15% of the workforce – said they plan to quit before the start of 2022.

Resignations peaked in April 2021 with nearly 4 million Americans quitting their jobs that month and have remained abnormally high in recent months, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), which also reported that a record number of 10.9 million job openings existed at the end of July 2021.

To determine whether this out-migration would decrease in the remaining months of 2021, or what percentage of the workforce was still planning to quit their jobs before 2022, ResumeBuilder.com surveyed 1,250 U.S. adults employed in August 2021 and asked them if they were planning to leave and, if so, why. The main findings of the survey are as follows:

• 15% of the workforce planned to quit their jobs between September 2021 and December 2021.
• 1 in 5 had not decided if they wanted to quit their job.
• 40% of computer and information technology (IT) employees resigned between August 2021 and December 2021.
• 1 in 5 Millennials planned to quit in the coming months, most of all age groups.
• Among workers who had no plans to quit their jobs, 58% would consider quitting if offered better pay and benefits elsewhere.
• 19% of those who are not considering quitting their jobs would do so if their employers asked them to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
• Men surveyed were about twice as likely as women surveyed to consider quitting their job before the end of the year, with a rate of 20 to 11 percent.

Of the 15% of those surveyed who intended to resign between September 2021 and December 2021, 39% said they would resign in September 2021, 20% said they would resign in October 2021, 17% said that ‘they would resign in November 2021 and 25% announced they would resign in December 2021.

The survey found that 50 percent of respondents said better pay and benefits were the main motivation for quitting their jobs. The other top reasons people looked for new job opportunities were starting their own business (44%), looking for work remotely (43%), and looking for a job they were more passionate about (41 %).

“It’s a great time to look for a better paying job,” said a guidance counselor who reviewed the survey. “We see, especially in industries that are experiencing labor shortages, companies finding ways to attract and retain their workforce, including offering higher wages and benefits such as than the tuition fees. ”

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