While the tidal wave of resignations may have slightly receded in 2022, the workforce landscape was forever reshaped as over 50 million Americans voted with their feet, seeking better pay, flexibility, and respect in a historic rebalancing of power between employees and employers.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, the US saw 50.2 million quits, a slight decrease from 47.4 million in 2021 but still 25% above pre-pandemic levels
- November 2022 recorded 4.2 million quits, the highest monthly figure for the year, representing a 2.7% quit rate
- The private sector quit rate averaged 3.8% throughout 2022, up from 2.8% in 2019
- Healthcare quits reached 5.1 million in 2022
- Quit rate in accommodation/food services averaged 6.0% in 2022
- Retail trade saw 4.8 million quits, highest among sectors
- Women in tech quit rate 25% higher than men in 2022
- Millennials (25-40) accounted for 61% of all quits in 2022
- Gen Z quit rate 5.2%, highest demographic
- 61% of quitters cited low pay as reason #1
- No advancement opportunities drove 29% of quits in 2022
- Feeling disrespected cited by 57% of recent quitters
- Quits led to 1.7 million more job openings by end-2022
- Wage growth accelerated 5.1% YoY due to quits in 2022
- Unemployment rate stayed low at 3.6% despite 50M quits
The Great Resignation continued at high levels through 2022 as workers sought better opportunities.
Demographic Breakdowns
1Women in tech quit rate 25% higher than men in 2022
Verified2Millennials (25-40) accounted for 61% of all quits in 2022
Verified3Gen Z quit rate 5.2%, highest demographic
Verified4Black workers quit rate 4.1% vs 2.9% for whites
Directional5Men aged 25-34 quit at 4.2% rate
Single source6Hispanic/Latino quit rate 3.9% in 2022
Verified7Workers with children under 18 quit 15% more post-pandemic
Verified8Baby boomers quit rate dropped to 1.8% from 2.2% pre-2022
Verified9College-educated women quit 2.1 million jobs in 2022
Directional10Remote workers quit 13% less than on-site, but high-skill quit more
Single source11Parents of school-age kids quit rate 4.5%
Verified12Asian workers quit rate 2.7%, lowest racial group
Verified13Single workers without kids quit 20% higher than married
Verified14LGBTQ+ workers quit rate 28% considered, 12% did
Directional15Veterans quit rate 3.0%, similar to civilians
Single source16Workers over 55 quit rate 1.5%
Verified17Low-wage workers (<$15/hr) quit 75% more in 2022
Verified18Women with advanced degrees quit 18% for flexibility
Verified19Urban vs rural quit rates: 3.5% vs 2.8%
Directional20Disabled workers quit rate 4.2%, higher due to accommodations
Single source21High school grads quit 3.7% rate
Verified2240% of Gen Z women quit or planned to in 2022
Verified23Married men quit least at 2.6%
VerifiedDemographic Breakdowns Interpretation
The Great Resignation wasn't a monolith but a symphony of exits, revealing a workforce where the young, the undervalued, and the burdened are walking out the door to the steady rhythm of "not enough"—not enough respect, pay, flexibility, or future—while those with more to lose or less to gain are staying put and holding the fort.
Economic and Post-Resignation Impacts
1Quits led to 1.7 million more job openings by end-2022
Verified2Wage growth accelerated 5.1% YoY due to quits in 2022
Verified3Unemployment rate stayed low at 3.6% despite 50M quits
Verified4Hiring rate dropped to 4.2% as quits slowed late 2022
Directional5Labor force participation fell to 62.2% amid resignations
Single source6Productivity per worker declined 1.3% due to turnover costs
Verified7Replacement costs averaged $30k per quit in 2022
Verified8GDP growth slowed to 1.9% partly from labor shortages
Verified9Quitters saw 20% wage increase on average post-resignation
Directional10Inflation peaked at 9.1% fueled by wage pressures from quits
Single source11Small businesses reported 40% higher turnover costs
Verified12Corporate profits dipped 2% from rehiring expenses
Verified1380% of quitters found new jobs within 3 months
Verified14Job satisfaction rose 10% among new hires post-quit
Directional15Remote job postings up 300% correlating with quits
Single source16Turnover costs hit $1 trillion economy-wide in 2022
Verified17Manufacturing output gaps from quits: 5% shortfall
Verified18Consumer spending resilient despite LFPR drop, up 2.5%
Verified1925% of firms raised wages 10%+ to retain post-quits
Directional20Long-term unemployment low at 1.2M despite mass quits
Single source21Stock market volatility up 15% from labor uncertainty
Verified22Quitters' new jobs had 15% higher satisfaction rates
Verified23Healthcare staffing shortages led to 10% overtime increase
Verified24Retail sales gaps filled by part-time hires up 20%
Directional25Fed raised rates 7 times responding to quit-driven inflation
Single source26Entrepreneurship filings up 23% from ex-workers
Verified2735% of quitters became gig workers, boosting platform economy
VerifiedEconomic and Post-Resignation Impacts Interpretation
The Great Resignation turned the labor market into a high-stakes game of musical chairs, where the mass exodus of workers left companies scrambling to fill seats with higher wages, inadvertently fueling inflation and slowing the broader economy even as individual quitters danced their way to better pay and greater satisfaction.
Industry-Specific Data
1Healthcare quits reached 5.1 million in 2022
Verified2Quit rate in accommodation/food services averaged 6.0% in 2022
Verified3Retail trade saw 4.8 million quits, highest among sectors
Verified4Professional/business services quits: 9.3 million total in 2022
Directional5Manufacturing quit rate steady at 2.1% throughout 2022
Single source6Construction industry quits: 2.1 million in 2022
Verified7Education/health services quit rate: 2.9% average
Verified8Transportation/warehousing quits peaked at 1.2 million monthly in mid-2022
Verified9Finance/insurance quit rate: 2.4% in 2022
Directional10Information sector quits: 1.1 million total, rate 3.2%
Single source11Wholesale trade quits low at 1.5% rate, 800k total
Verified12Arts/entertainment/recreation quits: 1.4 million
Verified13Other services quit rate: 3.5%, total 1.8 million quits
Verified14Mining/logging had negligible quits, under 50k total
Directional15Utilities sector quit rate: 1.2%, lowest among industries
Single source16Real estate quits: 900k in 2022, rate 3.1%
Verified17Tech industry (subset of info) saw 20% quit rate among software devs
Verified18Nursing homes quit rate 9.5% in healthcare subsector 2022
Verified19Restaurants quit rate 7.2% monthly avg
Directional20Airlines pilots quits surged 15% in 2022
Single source21Retail fast-food quits 150% above 2019 levels early 2022
Verified22Hospitality hotels quit rate 12% in summer 2022
Verified23Construction skilled trades quits up 25% YoY
Verified24Manufacturing auto sector quits 2.5 million total
Directional25Legal services quit rate 2.8%
Single source26Software/IT services quits 4.1% rate
Verified27Federal govt healthcare quits 300k
VerifiedIndustry-Specific Data Interpretation
While America spent 2022 collectively deciding we’d rather not be underpaid, overworked, or underappreciated, the data reveals a sardonic truth: we were most eager to abandon the jobs that literally and metaphorically keep society running, from healing the sick and serving the food to building the homes and flying the planes, all while quietly clocking out of the sectors that quietly count our money and keep our lights on.
Overall Quit Rates and Volumes
1In 2022, the US saw 50.2 million quits, a slight decrease from 47.4 million in 2021 but still 25% above pre-pandemic levels
Verified2November 2022 recorded 4.2 million quits, the highest monthly figure for the year, representing a 2.7% quit rate
Verified3The private sector quit rate averaged 3.8% throughout 2022, up from 2.8% in 2019
Verified4By Q4 2022, total separations reached 6.5 million, with quits comprising 66% of them
Directional5Quit rates peaked at 4.0% in March 2022 before declining to 3.4% by December
Single source6Women quit at a rate of 3.9% in 2022 compared to 3.2% for men
Verified7Youth (16-24) had a quit rate of 5.8% annually in 2022
Verified8Government sector quits totaled 1.2 million in 2022
Verified9Job openings exceeded quits by 1.8 million in average 2022
Directional10Quit rate for leisure and hospitality hit 6.4% monthly average in 2022
Single source11Total quits in 2022 were 31% higher than the 2019 average of 38.3 million
Verified12September 2022 saw 4.1 million quits, up 1.1% from August
Verified13Quit levels in durable goods manufacturing averaged 450,000 per month in 2022
Verified14The quits-to-unemployment ratio was 1.9 in 2022, indicating workers had options
Directional1552% of US workers considered quitting in 2022, per McKinsey survey
Single source16Actual quit rate for full-time workers was 2.5% monthly in 2022
Verified17Voluntary quits accounted for 70% of all separations in professional services in 2022
Verified18Quit rate dropped to 3.3% in October 2022 from 3.7% prior month
Verified19Total 2022 quits in accommodation/food services: 8.9 million
Directional20Native-born workers quit at 3.1% rate vs 2.8% for immigrants in 2022
Single source21Quit levels peaked at 4.5 million in January 2022
Verified22Annual quit rate for 2022 was 3.2% overall
Verified23Quits in construction averaged 550,000 monthly in 2022
Verified2428% of quits were due to better opportunities, per 2022 surveys
Directional25Quit rate for whites was 3.0%, Blacks 3.8% in 2022
Single source26Federal government quits: 250,000 in 2022
Verified27Monthly quits averaged 4.2 million from Jan-Jun 2022
Verified28Quit rate for college grads was 2.8% vs 3.5% for non-grads in 2022
Verified29Total quits in retail trade: 7.2 million in 2022
Directional30Leisure/hospitality quits declined 15% YoY by end-2022
Single sourceOverall Quit Rates and Volumes Interpretation
The American workforce collectively decided its New Year's resolution for 2022 was to find a new job, and then spent the entire year, especially a record-breaking November, diligently working on it—proving that while the 'Great Resignation' might have peaked, the fundamental power shift to employees is very much here to stay.
Reasons for Quitting
161% of quitters cited low pay as reason #1
Verified2No advancement opportunities drove 29% of quits in 2022
Verified3Feeling disrespected cited by 57% of recent quitters
Verified4Childcare issues caused 40% of parental quits
Directional5Burnout was reason for 52% of 2022 resignations
Single source6Lack of flexibility drove 38% of quits, per McKinsey
Verified7Poor management cited in 65% of exit interviews 2022
Verified8Compensation inadequate for 60% quitters
Verified9Mental health concerns led to 35% quits
Directional10Return-to-office mandates caused 23% immediate quits
Single source11Better pay offers motivated 70% of job switchers
Verified12Work-life balance issues in 48% of cases
Verified13Toxic culture drove 31% quits in surveys
Verified14Health/safety fears post-COVID: 15% quits
Directional15Career growth stagnation: 45% reason
Single source16Long hours/overwork: 42%
Verified17Lack of recognition: 39%
Verified18Remote work preference: 55% wouldn't return without it
Verified19Diversity/inclusion failures: 28% for minorities
Directional20Pandemic reevaluation of priorities: 67% of quitters
Single source21Inflation outpacing wages: 33% cited rising costs
Verified224-day week desire led to 12% quits rejecting offers
Verified23Union dissatisfaction: 18% in union jobs quit
Verified24Gig economy pull: 25% quit for freelance
DirectionalReasons for Quitting Interpretation
The Great Resignation was a mass, multi-faceted scream into the corporate void declaring, "Pay me fairly, treat me like a human being, and for goodness' sake, stop calling me back to the office for this."
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