In the USA 3.99 million employees quit their jobs in April

In the spring of 2021, when vaccination rates were just about to normalize in many companies, in the hotel and restaurant business, statisticians from the US Department of Labor recorded an unusual development for the first time. 3.99 million employees quit their jobs in April, more than ever since the surveys began 20 years ago. The numbers have remained historically high. They broke the 4 million mark in July, after which they rose to another record of 4.27 million layoffs in August. These are the latest available numbers. Economists call the phenomenon "The Great Resignation" or "The Big Quit" - the great wave of layoffs. Various factors apparently coincide and paint an unusual picture in the USA: There have been around 10 million vacancies for months, but entrepreneurs have great problems filling them permanently. There is ever greater movement as workers dare to quit unloved jobs. The reasons are pent-up dissatisfaction during the pandemic, the desire for greater flexibility and, for some, the benefits of the new government. Obviously, this is not just a short-term phenomenon. In a survey by management consultancy McKinsey, around 40 percent of employees said that they are likely to change their jobs in the coming months. Among working people, 42 percent of women said they felt very often or always burned out, among men it was 36 percent. According to the consultants, people long for the "human aspect" of the job. There is a great cultural myth in the United States: in times of great economic boom like the 1960s, people kept their jobs for their entire working life and, after decades, retired happily and happily. If, on the other hand, there is a lot of movement on the labor market, that is rather bad. That may be true for companies, but from an employee perspective, this nostalgia is unfounded. This is what the figures are currently showing month after month. Many people change their occupation, the supply is large, wages and salaries are rising. Historically, Americans clung to their jobs especially during bad times. Since the 1980s there have been fewer and fewer job changes. This can also be clearly seen in the figures during and after the financial crisis, the Great Recession. But then the pandemic came and everything changed. At the moment, people not only dare to change employers. Many even move, try it on their own, realize themselves. "The lasting effect of this pandemic will be a revolution in expectations of work," says an author of The Atlantic magazine. The number of company foundations has exploded after the first lockdown in 2020. Employees like those in the tech industry also question the requirement to be present in the office. After all, the virtual work during the pandemic restrictions has shown that there is another way. More than one in ten Americans moved during the pandemic, according to the survey. Most recently, an overwhelming majority said they had changed their place of residence for positive reasons, for example to live closer to their family or to fulfill a long-cherished dream. The wave of layoffs has not only reached the financially better secured middle class, but also the low-wage sector. Almost 7 percent of employees in the hotel and catering industry quit. And in August alone. From a macroeconomic point of view, one could say: The "hiring and firing" dreaded in the USA is hardly possible any more. The employees are walking faster than their bosses could kick them out.