Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

USALatest NewsJob creation and lossesLabour marketRecruitment & retention

‘Great resignation’ in US as employees leave jobs in record numbers

by Jo Faragher 5 Jan 2022
by Jo Faragher 5 Jan 2022 Like the UK, US vacancies are high in sectors such as food services and accommodation
Heidi Besen / Shutterstock.com
Like the UK, US vacancies are high in sectors such as food services and accommodation
Heidi Besen / Shutterstock.com

The number of US workers leaving their jobs hit a record high in November, suggesting the ‘great resignation’ has become a reality.

The Department of Labor’s statistics showed that 4.5 million employees voluntarily left their jobs during November, and there was a 370,000 increase in resignations.

Reflecting the situation in the UK, most job openings were to be found in accommodation and food service industries, healthcare, social care, transport, warehousing and utilities. Job openings also increased in finance and insurance and federal government.

On the last day of November there were 10.6 million open vacancies, down by around 500,000 but still close to record highs.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics said that the number of layoffs during November remained broadly the same at 1.4 million, and this was the same across all regions.

Labour market

The ‘great resignation’: why HR and managers must work together on retention 

The ‘great resignation’: keeping your best people (webinar) 

In the 12 months to the end of November 2021, hires totalled 74.5 million, while “separations” (people leaving the workforce) totalled 68.7 million, meaning there was a net gain in jobs of 5.9 million.

The job openings rate was lower in small employers of between 10 and 49 employees, and increased in larger employers with more than 5,000 staff.

Employees were most likely to leave their job voluntarily in the smallest employers (up to nine employees), while organisations with 1,000 to 4,999 saw the most exits from the workforce, whether through redundancy or leaving for a new job.

HR Consultant opportunities on Personnel Today


Browse more HR Consultant jobs

Jo Faragher
Jo Faragher

Jo Faragher has been an employment and business journalist for 20 years. She regularly contributes to Personnel Today and writes features for a number of national business and membership magazines. She won the Willis Towers Watson HR journalist of the year award in 2015 and has been highly commended twice.

previous post
Worker who refused to go to work because of Covid fear loses tribunal claim
next post
Care homes declare ‘red’ alert over staff absences

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

You may also like

Should you let your employees work from abroad?

2 Aug 2022

Netherlands on track to approve working from home...

7 Jul 2022

Brexit remains an ‘open wound’ for EU employees...

23 Jun 2022

UK among worst in Europe for employee engagement

14 Jun 2022

Davos 2022: ‘Invest in social jobs to save...

27 May 2022

Davos hears that ‘wages can rise’ without creating...

26 May 2022

‘It’s International HR Day – wait, you didn’t...

20 May 2022

How the Global Business Mobility visa will overhaul...

14 Apr 2022

H&M signs pledge to protect female workers in...

1 Apr 2022

HR in the 21st century: Tracie Sponenberg talks...

1 Apr 2022
  • 6 reasons why work-based learning is better than traditional training PROMOTED | A recent Fortune/Deloitte survey found that 71% of CEOs are anticipating that this year’s biggest business disrupter...Read more
  • Strengthening Scotland’s public services through virtual recruiting PROMOTED | This website is Scotland's go-to place for job seekers looking to apply for roles in public services...Read more
  • What’s next for L&D? Enter Alchemist… PROMOTED | It’s time to turn off the tedious and get ready for interactive and immersive learning experiences...Read more
  • Simple mistakes are blighting the onboarding experience PROMOTED | The onboarding of new hires is a company’s best chance...Read more
  • Preventing Burnout: How can HR help key workers get the right help? PROMOTED | Workplace wellbeing may seem a distant memory...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2022

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2022 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+