Before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of workers in different parts of the world quit their jobs. Some have changed careers, while others have left the workforce altogether, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
August 2022 data puts the labor force participation rate 1% below the February 2020 level. According to the BBC, people quit their jobs due to the Bad conditions Yes minimum wage.
Among the jobs with the most resignations are those hospitality and service workers, dishwashers, truck drivers, retail workers, food servers, airport attendants, and home health aides.
What is the reason for this desertion?
Experts say it’s because people want better wages and have chosen to change to better jobs. For their part, the companies affected are trying to recover their workers with obligationsbut they are not enough.
One of the sectors with the most resignations is food companies, as most of their workers are mistreated by customers. Photo: Crehana
However, the desertion is not only due to the pandemic, since in 2017 a total of 53.8% of resignations were recorded among retail workers, 72.4% of hotel workers and 30.6% of people in manufacturing jobs.
With the outbreak of COVID-19, the problem worsened as in some industries employees had to work longer hours and this contributed to burnout. In addition, it was more difficult for them to take care of their children and to go to work, due to the closure of schools and the reduction of public transport.
Likewise, workers have been victimized by rude customers, despite constant exposure to the coronavirus. Companies have started offering bonuses, but few have raised wages or offered hazard payreports the BBC.
Hospitality staff have been constantly exposed to COVID-19 due to their work. Photo: Nexotour
In the first year of the pandemic, 68% of deaths in the United States were among workers in the labor, retail and service sectors.
Why don’t people come back?
In 2021, 64.6% of retail trade workers, 86.3% of accommodation and food service workers and just under 40% of manufacturing workers left their jobs.
The Great Resignation, as the dropout epidemic has been known throughout 2021 and until this year it has left thousands of vacancies in all industries. Companies have struggled to hire workers because of the low wages they offer, says David Dwertmann, a professor at Rutgers University School of Business, Camden.
A Pew Research survey asked people who quit their jobs why they left. Salary was first, followed by ‘no opportunity for advancement’ and ‘feeling disrespected’.
Truckers chose to resign from their jobs because of the low floor they receive from their employers. Photo: Diariotransporte.com
“If you’re flipping burgers or something, it’s not that easy to advance. Not everyone will be a manager. A lot of people are stuck in these jobs for years and years,” Dwertmann says.
Additionally, “workers just don’t feel like they’re valued enough and they don’t feel like they’re treated well enough.”
Another factor of resignations is due to the fact that the so-called baby boomers have chosen to retire and even more because of the risk of falling ill with COVID-19. “It was a great reason to say, ‘You know what? I’m done,” explained the researcher.
This was compounded by the lack of immigration in recent years, which left empty companies that normally hired foreigners, who worked with low pay in between.
“Partly because of the pandemic, partly because of policy changes, immigration to the United States has been cut in half,” he said.
Companies offer bonuses to their workers to return to their jobs. Photo: AFP
What are companies doing?
In companies like Amazon, it has been proposed in 2021 that bonuses will be paid $1,000 for warehouse and transport work. Hilton Hotels has started offering bonuses $500 and more for housekeepers and other staff.
“The pandemic is coming and the first thing companies do is lay off a lot of workers,” Dwetmann said.
“They thought that when he slacks off everyone would show up again, but actually the employees are like, ‘You know what? You didn’t stay with me. I will not come back to you,” he added.
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