15 Reasons People Are Quitting Their Jobs

The state of employment in America has been in a lot of flux in recent years. The pandemic pushed the unemployment rate up near 15% in early 2020, and at the end of 2021, it was near 4%. That's close to or is at the "full employment" level, where anyone who wants a job can get one, and that's partly due to many people leaving their jobs -- in what some have termed the "Great Resignation." Here are 15 of the many reasons that people have been leaving jobs in recent years.

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This one is no surprise, and it applies particularly strongly to those in the healthcare industry and in essential services. Such folks have been working tirelessly in often difficult circumstances, and it's leading many to quit. A 2021 study from the folks at Limeade found that burnout was the top reason for people leaving their jobs -- and it was strong enough that 28% quit without even having another job lined up.

Most people who leave one job for another have higher wages near the top of their wish list, and the Great Resignation has been led by those on the lower end of the pay continuum. To a great degree, that's because the millions who have left relatively low-paying jobs have also left job openings in their wake, and some employers are finding that they need to raise wages to attract workers to fill those openings. This is leading to wage increases, which is handy, considering that inflation has been surging lately.

A classic reason that many people quit their jobs, though not the most common one, is to go into business for themselves. Entrepreneurship can be attractive, as you can be your own boss -- as well as the boss of others -- but it does typically involve risk. The business you start may have trouble gaining traction, and you may face significant competition. On the other hand, the rewards can be immense.

ALSO READ: 5 Types of Entrepreneurship: Which One Should You Pursue?

The pandemic has led many people to reassess their lives and priorities, and that has sent some people out of their existing jobs and into new jobs or different fields -- ones with more appealing cultures. One appealing kind of corporate culture is a caring one -- that offers workers flexibility supporting physical and mental health. The opposite of such a culture is what many experienced when ordered to show up for work in the midst of a pandemic, often without sufficient protection.

The next reason that many people have quit jobs is an old and familiar one, but it was heightened by the pandemic: needing to care for children. That's always a concern for parents, and those who can't find or afford adequate childcare will sometimes have to leave the workforce for a while. The problem typically eases when children enter school, but the pandemic had many children stuck at home and needing supervision there.

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Another reason some are leaving their jobs is because they got a taste of working from home during the pandemic, and now they want to keep working from home. If their current employer is expecting its workforce to return to the workplace, they may start looking for a different job. A 2021 report from Catalyst found that 50% of the employees surveyed plan to change jobs because of the COVID-19 pandemic and "of those who intend to make a career change, 41% said they are going to ask for location flexibility."

ALSO READ: Working Remotely: Is this the Future of the Workforce?

The current low-unemployment environment is a rather good one in which to search for a new job, so that's certainly helping plenty of workers decide to make a move. With lots of companies advertising job openings, workers have many jobs to apply for. Just as some real estate markets favor buyers over sellers, and vice versa, some employment markets favor workers, while others favor hirers.

As mentioned earlier, frontline workers are particularly burned out. Many have been working extra shifts regularly for several years now, often with few breaks. With the pandemic routinely causing a portion of most businesses' workforce to be out sick, that's leaving existing workers with more to do. A November 2021 article from The Atlantic noted: "The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the health-care sector has lost nearly half a million workers since February 2020. Morning Consult, a survey research company, says that 18 percent of health-care workers have quit since the pandemic began, while 12 percent have been laid off." Educators and other frontline workers are similarly exhausted -- often, teaching kids remotely can be harder and more exhausting than doing so in a classroom.

Plenty of workers have quit jobs because their jobs simply have become too difficult. Many jobs were already challenging, but now there are new issues, such as having to deal with angry customers and having to clean workplaces more often and more intensively. Teachers may now have extra responsibilities, such as monitoring mask usage and dealing with many kids who may be sick or who may miss class. Those working from home can find work more difficult, too, as not every job is easily performed via video calls.

ALSO READ: Who Has Been Hit Hardest in the Pandemic Economy?

Vaccination requirements can not only make a job more challenging to some people but also lead some people leaving their jobs entirely, either by choice or not. Citigroup, for example, has announced plans to terminate the employment of workers who aren't vaccinated by the end of January (though it recently had a 99% vaccination rate among those workers). Plenty of other companies have let hundreds, if not thousands, of workers go.

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While many workers have quit in frustration, others are quitting in anger. There's even a term now for workers angry enough to quit: rage quitters. Also, there are many strikes that have been undertaken in recent months, with a CNN article from October 2021 noting, "The overwhelming majority of strikers and potential strikers are doing so for the first time in their careers. Many say they are driven not just by wages or benefits. They say they are striking, or planning to strike, in a bid to do their jobs the way they believe they should be done, and to gain basic improvements in the quality of their lives, such as time with their families, which they say they deserve."

Here's a less troubling reason why many people quit their jobs: They do so in order to retire early. There's a particular movement focused on helping people retire early -- the Financial Independence, Retire Early (FIRE) movement, which has some people going to extremes, such as by living on only one of a couple's incomes, working multiple jobs for years, and/or living without a car or other things that many people would find indispensable.

ALSO READ: This Is Why FIRE Is a Wildly Unrealistic Retirement Strategy for Most People

Some people change jobs because they just want to go in a different direction. They may have grown tired of their current field, or perhaps they've worked to earn the necessary credentials for a new kind of job that pays more and/or is simply more satisfying.

Then there's a perhaps obvious reason many quit their jobs each year: They simply retire. They aren't necessarily doing so early -- and some may be retiring relatively late. But they are finally choosing to exit the workforce. Lots of us look forward to the day when we can do so, but we should be sure that we've socked away sufficient money and lined up enough income sources to support ourselves for what might be several decades of retirement. It's critical to have a solid retirement plan.

ALSO READ: How Much Do I Need to Retire Comfortably?

Finally, many people have been quitting their jobs in search of better work-life balance. The pandemic led many people to work from home, and in the process, many found that they liked seeing their family members more and enjoyed not commuting so much. A 2021 survey from FlexJobs found, "The number one reason people want to change careers is to be in a job or field with a better work-life balance" -- with 56% of respondents citing that reason.

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These are just 15 of the many reasons one might quit one's job. It can be a traumatic and disruptive thing to do, but it can also lead to higher wages, more benefits, and/or greater job satisfaction. If you're not happy at work, consider looking around. And if your main beef is your low pay, try asking for a raise -- you never know!

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