The Great Resignation wasn't that great after all: CareerArc study

How many people quit their jobs, or thought about quitting, last year? Not that many in fact, according to the findings of a newly released study by CareerArc and The Harris Poll. The study, which covered 900 employed adults in the US, found that while 39% thought about quitting their jobs over the course of 2021, only 11% actually went ahead and quit. This is noticeably lower than annual averages for the US, where between 20-30% of workers quit each year, and possibly because the CareerArc survey does not include industries with high seasonal turnover.

Those who changed their minds about leaving (32%) often said they hadn't yet found a job that met their requirements, suggesting that they might leave further down the road if an attractive opportunity came up. Women were nearly twice as likely as men to give this reason.

But many also cited good points about their current job, such as good work-life balance, an acceptable salary, agreeable co-workers, or a flexible work schedule. Again, women were 1.5 times more likely than men to say they stayed because of a flexible work schedule.

The findings are congruent with prior surveys and studies showing that people today are most likely to leave their jobs over a lack of flexibility and/or work-life balance, and also the existing body of research showing that flexibility is a major draw for attracting women to a job.

However, the study also turned up ongoing issues with bias in the workplace, specifically in terms of compensation. Men were more likely (71%) to receive a pay raise than women (60%), and the average raise received by men was nearly twice as high as the average for women, indicating that the gender pay gap continues to be a problem even after several years of raising awareness about bias in roles and compensation.