A significant share of America’s working population, particularly its younger labor force, is considering quitting amid overall job dissatisfaction and a lack of opportunities to progress their career.
According to a survey by recruitment marketing agency HireClix, 38 percent of employees intend to quit their job, up from 32 percent last year. In addition, Gen Z emerged as the most likely to depart, with 54 percent saying that they plan on leaving their current place of work.
Why It Matters
The figures paint a concerning picture of employee retention in the U.S. and, as HireClix notes, point to “an increasing need for companies to focus on addressing the concerns of these groups, which include growth opportunities, pay equity, and overall organizational culture.”
The desire to quit and overall job dissatisfaction has not translated into any mass departure from the workplace, however. Conversely, evidence suggests employees are holding onto their jobs tighter than ever. Experts told Newsweek previously that this phenomenon, known as “job hugging,” serves as a worrying signal of prevalent weakness in the U.S. labor market.
What To Know
HireClix’s results were based on a June survey of more than 1,000 working Americans. As well as Gen Z employees, those earning under $100,000 (50 percent), millennials (47 percent) and women (41 percent) expressed a desire to leave their current employers.
Among the reasons why workers are wanting to walk away, 44 percent mentioned no longer enjoying their job. While this marks a notable decline from 60 percent in 2024, other factors have grown in significance this year. The number citing insufficient raises and bonuses increased to 36 percent from 29 percent, those pointing to a work-life imbalance rose to 32 percent from 26 percent, while 31 percent highlighted a lack of growth opportunities with their current employer, up from 29 percent.
The relative importance of these varied across age groups. Gen Z employees and baby boomers both prioritized job enjoyment and relationships with managers, while millennials and those in Generation X were more focused on competitive pay, growth opportunities and securing a favorable work-life balance.
To work psychologist Paula Caligiuri, the share of workers wanting to leave their current job is a reflection of both long-term issues that have plagued employee retention, but also more contemporary economic factors.
“For decades and for many, work has been an exchange (loyalty for security/income). That contract dissolved a long time ago,” she told Newsweek. “Companies kept asking for loyalty while quietly reducing the cost of talent. So, for many, pensions are gone, raises don’t match cost of living, and career ladders don’t create upward movement. Workers adapted. They viewed their employers as temporary and transactional.”
Additionally, with paychecks failing to keep pace with inflation and Artificial Intelligence potentially making millions redundant, Caligiuri said that many have begun to feel “disposable” and are no longer committed to their roles as a result.
Despite employee dissatisfaction and disengagement, nationwide quitting rates continue to hover at low levels—following the pandemic-induced “Great Resignation” of 2021 and 2022—showing that current difficulties in the U.S. job market may prevent this desire to leave from transforming into any employee exodus. Sluggish job growth and a surge in layoffs have this year created an unappealing environment for those hoping to move on to greener pastures.
“When there are lots of alternative jobs available, these disengaged employees are better able to switch jobs in search of more engaging work,” Anthony Klotz, professor of organizational behavior at UCL School of Management in London told Newsweek earlier this month. “But when the job market is slow, these disengaged workers become what researchers call ‘reluctant stayers.'”
What People Are Saying
Paula Caligiuri, professor of international business at Northeastern University, told Newsweek: “[Gen Z] know jobs are temporary, so they treat them that way. They don’t buy the old myths of ‘stick it out’ or “do your time” in exchange for career rewards. They grew up watching institutions and companies crumble and many acquaintances with thriving and fulfilling side hustles.
“For them, if a role doesn’t give them purpose, growth, or space for a real life, they’re gone or don’t give it much energy to their ‘9 to 5’ (saving it for their side gig, their ‘5 to 9’, or themselves).”
William Rothwell, emeritus distinguished professor in the Workforce Education and Development program at Penn State University, told Newsweek: “Employees today, like many employers, are worried about uncertainty in general and uncertainty in their jobs and their employment lives specifically.
“Tariffs that seem to seesaw between on again and off again do affect employers and, through them, employment security. Inflation is another problem, and many employees have figured that (if they stay put) they are in for a meager raise, but if they jump ship they may get bigger increases in salaries by moving to another employer.”
He added that, thanks to employer downsizing, “workers have little to no loyalty to their employer because employers have little to no loyalty to workers.”
What Happens Next?