I quit: 4 million Americans quit their jobs in April, almost twice the number from a year ago

I quit: 4 million Americans quit their jobs in April, almost twice the number from a year ago

6/22/21 8:00PM

Recent polls reported on by Axios revealed that anywhere from 25-40% of Americans were thinking about quitting their jobs — and in April 4 million of them seemingly acted on that urge. That's almost double the number from April of last year when just 2.1 million said "I quit".

When we charted this data last year, it was clear that there were probably millions of people who wanted to quit their jobs, but couldn't justify it in the peak-pandemic climate of uncertainty. Clearly those people are feeling little less anxious about things — and it's a good sign for the economy.

‍Quitting is good?

‍Lots of people quitting their jobs is a pretty solid endorsement of the economy. The quitters expect to be fine and go on to bigger and better things. It also (hopefully) means that people are pursuing jobs they really want, and that firms can get the people they really want.

The other factor contributing to quitting mania is the different approach companies are taking to remote work. With some completely embracing remote work, and others mostly returning to their old ways, it's likely we get a sustained period of upheaval in the job market as we all look for that perfect work-from-home / work-from-work balance.

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