A record number of Americans quit their jobs in September.
A total of 4.4 million Americans left their positions in September alone and 34.5 million have quit so far this year.
Economics correspondent for The Washington Post, Heather Long, tweeted, “(Next closest was 2019 when 31.7 million quit Jan-Sept). The Great Resignation is PICKING UP speed.”
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the September numbers represent three percent of the workforce, as The Washington Post reports.
Just In: A record 4.4 million Americans quit their jobs in September 2021.
— Heather Long (@byHeatherLong) November 12, 2021
So far this year, 34.5 million Americans have quit — millions more than anything ever seen before.
(Next closest was 2019 when 31.7 million quit Jan-Sept).
The Great Resignation is PICKING UP speed pic.twitter.com/bSgkI9P6qk
As CBS News notes, “The Great Resignation, as the trend has come to be called, signals shifting priorities for the nation’s workers, who increasingly are looking for options such as flexible schedules or remote work.”
Daniel Zhao, an economist at Glassdoor, told the Post, “There are likely some delta-induced quits here,” adding, “Workers are fed up with working conditions and feel unsafe and quitting even though they might not immediately jump into a new job.”
He pointed out “quits are high in leisure and hospitality, health services and education.”
Zhao continued, “Those are all industries where an increase in Covid can make work less safe.”
The report comes as Americans continue to express concern with rising inflation. President Joe Biden acknowledged the spike in inflation during a speech Wednesday at the Port of Baltimore.
“The American people, in the midst of an economic crisis, that recovery is showing strong results, but not to them,” Biden said. “They’re still looking out there. Everything from a gallon of gas to a loaf of bread costs more. And it’s worrisome, even though wages are going up.”
He claimed the administration is “tracking these issues and trying to figure out how to tackle them head on.”
Vice President Kamala Harris also commented on inflation Friday, saying it is a “source of stress for families” that is “not only economic, but is, on a daily level, something that is a heavy weight to carry.”
