Understanding Young Worker Motivations During the Great Resignation
More than 47 million workers voluntarily quit their jobs in 2021, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This phenomenon, often referred to as the Great Resignation, is the subject of a new study from the Shift Project.
The study and resulting report, Why Are Young Workers Leaving Their Jobs?, explores why service sector workers — particularly those between the ages of 18 and 24 — quit their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prior reporting on the Great Resignation had relied on labor market data and limited anecdotal evidence. This new research, funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, took a different approach. It engaged nearly 3,000 young workers and tracked several telling factors, including their reasons for quitting a job and their satisfaction at each job.
When researchers mined data to learn why younger workers were leaving their jobs, they discovered a trend toward employment opportunities with better pay, benefits and working conditions.
Motivations for Quitting Work
Why Are Young Workers Leaving Their Jobs? makes several key conclusions about what happened to young workers during the Great Resignation. The report found that:
- Young workers with lower wages were more likely to quit their jobs; 67% of workers earning minimum wage left their jobs compared to only 17% of workers making at least $25 an hour.
- Young workers who quit during this period found better jobs with higher wages and more stable schedules — and often within the service sector.
- Young workers were in demand — and better able to seek out jobs that fit their personal and professional goals — thanks to a more competitive labor market.
“The tight labor market benefited young workers, giving them more bargaining power and allowing them to achieve upward job mobility,” says the report’s co-author, Kristen Harknett, who serves as professor of sociology at the University of California, San Francisco. “As a result, employers now have to seriously consider offering more competitive wages and benefits, along with stable and predictable schedules, to attract and retain young workers.”
A Focus on Service Sector Jobs
Many young people gain their first work experience in the service sector, which accounts for 35% of all U.S. jobs occupied by those younger than age 25. In places like restaurants, grocery stores and retail shops, these young workers receive low wages and few fringe benefits. Oftentimes, they must also contend with erratic work schedules that change with little notice.
Against this backdrop, it’s hardly surprising that young workers have represented the largest demographic of employees quitting their jobs in the service sector since 2021, according to Why Are Young Workers Leaving Their Jobs?. Between spring 2020 and spring 2022, 51% of young service sector workers quit their job at least once — a rate that far exceeds the 25% quit rate for service sector staff ages 25 and older.
“The findings from the report provide important insights on how young service sector workers benefited from a tight labor market, securing jobs with higher wages and schedules that support their education and career goals,” says Ranita Jain, a senior associate with the Casey Foundation.
Read about the challenges facing young service sector workers
