“Great Resignations” Are Common During Fast Recoveries

Hobijn, Bart

Journal Article

“Great Resignations” Are Common During Fast Recoveries

Abstract: The record percentage of workers who are quitting their jobs, known as the “Great Resignation,” is not a shift in worker attitudes in the wake of the pandemic. Evidence on which workers are quitting suggests that it reflects the strong rebound of the demand for younger and less-educated workers. Historical data on quits in manufacturing suggest that the current wave is not unusual. Waves of job quits have occurred during all fast recoveries in the postwar period.

Keywords: covid19; unemployment; demand; labor market recovery; Great Resignation; quits rate;