The “Great Resignation:” why Americans are quitting at record levels

Americans are quitting their jobs at record levels. In August, 2.9% of workers resigned to take new jobs or to stop working altogether. What's behind the "Great Resignation?"

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(AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

(AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Americans are quitting their jobs at record levels. In August alone, 2.9% of workers, or 4.3 million people, resigned to take a new job or to stop working altogether. And this trend crosses all job types, income levels, and generations but restaurants, health care and retail saw the largest number of departures. While some people have found better jobs in the competitive market, others, many women, have had to leave the workforce because of child care shortages. Today, what’s behind the “Great Resignation” as it’s been called by our guest ANTHONY KLOTZ, business professor at Texas A&M University. We’ll talk with Klotz and University of Michigan economist BETSEY STEVENSON, about why people are quitting, what this means for individuals, businesses and the economy, and how the pandemic has reshaped how we think about work.

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