An increasing number of U.S. professional and knowledge workers will be open to new career opportunities, according to results from a survey by Workforce Logiq. The findings indicate a 69% quarterly increase in the number of employees in top volatility categories, indicating a period that’s being coined the “Great Resignation” as many U.S. workers reassess their careers.
The “Workforce Management Employee Predictive Volatility Benchmark Flash Report Q2 2021” provides insights into volatility across the Top 35 Job Categories and across all 50 U.S. states. The report showed that all Top 35 job categories had a significant increase in volatility in Q2. In fact, the least volatile job category, finance, was up 47%. This increase is highlighted by the fact that over 70% of job categories showed improvement in Q1 2021.
According the Jim Burke, Workforce Logiq’s CEO, many U.S. workers are reassessing their career as life returns to a sense of normalcy post-pandemic. He added that many employees are searching for roles that offer advancement opportunities, flexibility, and more money. “Our quarterly and year-over-year predictive volatility benchmarks highlight the impact of this ‘Great Resignation’ period and indicate this trend will continue well into the fall,” Burke said.
Public safety was the job category that showed the highest Q2 increase in employee volatility, with a 300% increase over Q1. This was closely followed by skilled trade (+204%) and the military (+201%). The top five states with the highest Q2 volatility percentage increases were:
- Mississippi (+73%)
- Wyoming (+70%)
- Montana (+68%)
- West Virginia (+67%)
- Maryland (+66%)
According to Dr. Christy Petrosso, Workforce Logiq’s Chief Data Scientist and Talent Economist, employers will need to get in front of workforce retention issues and win over high-quality external candidates to successfully navigate the Great Resignation period.
“Predictive tools surface critical insight on the workers most at risk of quitting and why, where to look for the best new talent, potential future skills gaps, and more. Employers can use this intelligence to proactively address attrition before it impacts the business, upskill the existing workforce, and acquire the right talent to meet immediate and future needs,” Petrosso said.
