The Labor Department reported Tuesday that 4.5 million U.S. workers voluntarily left employment in Nov., 2021, while job openings decreased slightly and hires had little change from the previous month. The quit count is the majority of the Labor department’s 6.3 million total separations from employment in the month of November. That encompassing separation count also includes layoffs, discharges, and other reasons such as an organization completely shutting down.
This staggering number of workers quitting is a continuing trend that may suggest these workers may not return to full-time employment. Rather they may pursue project-based work in their industry or start their own business or both. Recent and past data from summer, 2021 such as quit rates, job openings, and EIN number requests remain high, while hires and job satisfaction remaining low or unchanged may point to workers considering alternative ways to work.
The ADP Research Institute on Wednesday released December’s jobs data analysis, which reported private sector employment increased by 807,000 jobs. Seasonal hiring, enterprise level companies, and hospitality and leisure account for most of these new hires, however is a small amount compared to the 4.5 million workers who left their job in Nov. as reported by the Labor department.
An important criteria is neither ADP nor the Labor Department count workers who are not classified as employed nor do they track job openings/hires of contingent workers. The question remains unchanged and unanswered from last summer. Where are these formally employed people and how are they working? No matter the answer, Talent Sourcing and Acquisition teams are ready to engage new workers.