A record 4.4 million Americans quit their jobs in September. September’s “quit” numbers constituted 3% of the workforce, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s up from the previous record set in August, when 4.3 million people quit their jobs — about 2.9% of the workforce.
Mind you this is happening while the official unemployment rate continues to drop.
The “quits” come for a variety of reasons. The most recent Delta variant wave of the Pandemic hit its most recent peak in September and many workers just don’t feel safe at their current place of employment. Child care remains in short supply and one workers are looking for jobs that will let them better juggle work and family. Sectors with the highest percentages of workers quitting include trade, transportation, and utilities. There were also high levels of people quitting jobs in retail, professional and business services, as well as leisure and hospitality work like arts and entertainment, hotels and restaurants. A whopping 6.6% of workers in accommodation and food services quit their job in the month.
In September, the biggest increases in quits included entertainment and recreation (+56,000) and education and health services (+54,000).
According to the Internet jobs site ZipRecruiter, some 62% of jobs seekers on the site report that they are looking to change the type of job they had, according to a September study; 55 percent said they are now trying to get a job where they can work from home.
Of those who were seeking the ability to work from home, 85% said either workplace safety concerns (50%) or child care/family care needs (35%) were driving their decisions.
