Quitting is just half the story: the truth behind the ‘Great Resignation’

Workers left their jobs at historic rates, with a record 4.5m quits at the end of November - but it happened against an economic picture that remains difficult to interpret

2021 was the year of the Great Resignation" - a year when workers quit their jobs at historic rates. According to some, the trend was driven by an economic and psychological shift as employers struggled - and often failed - to tempt anxious staff to return to industries that have too often treated workers as dispensable. The truth is more complicated.

It is accurate to say that many people have quit their jobs in 2021 - quits", as the Bureau of Labor Statistics calls them, hit a high in September, with over 4.4 million people leaving their jobs, and was followed by a modest reduction of that trend in October.