BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) – Each month, millions of Americans are quitting their jobs. This March, approximately 3.9 million people gave notice, which amounted to a resignation rate of 2.5%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
A recent study from WalletHub found that out of all 50 states and the District of Columbia, Louisiana has the highest job resignation rate.
Why workers are across the Bayou State cutting ties with their employers?
Janna Taylor, the Executive Director of Louisiana Human Resources Development Institute shared her perspective.
“Workers resign for many reasons, including general dissatisfaction, poor management, or better job opportunities,” Taylor said. “In the current job market, where we’re seeing record numbers of job openings in Louisiana, many workers are leaving for better pay and flexible hours.”
Dr. Benjamin Biermeier-Hanson, an Assistant Professor with the Department of Management and Truist Leadership Faculty at Radford University added, “While some states certainly have higher resignation rates, the driving factors behind employees resigning in great numbers are pretty consistent. Burnout — often as a result of an unsustainable workload — lack of opportunity for advancement, and poor leadership are all reasons why employees resign. In addition, people often quit because they can find another job.”
Did COVID impact our perspectives on work?
According to Biermeier-Hanson, the pandemic played a significant role in prompting many to reconsider their employment options. He said some motivating factors were:
- The pandemic created many innovative open positions that many feel compelled to explore.
- In some industries, the blossoming COVID-era job opportunities come with competitive salaries.
- Navigating the pandemic inspired some to shift their priorities away from time-consuming careers to focus more on family and personal goals.
How to plan a resignation
So, Louisiana’s workers are making some pretty surprising career moves at an outstanding rate. But deciding to leave a source of income is a big step. Experts say it shouldn’t be a hasty decision.
“We certainly don’t recommend that a worker leave a job before they’ve found another one. It’s much easier to find a job when you already have one,” Taylor advised. “For someone currently looking for work, we recommend identifying a clear job search goal and having a well-written resume targeted toward that goal.”
Once workers have a career goal, they can leverage some of the state’s employment resources.
“Job seekers should also set up a recruitment account on our website, LaWorks.net, to utilize various tools and resources, including the Virtual Recruiter and Resume Builder,” Taylor said. “They should also regularly check our Job Fair and Events page to learn about hiring events across the state.”
Click here to visit the Louisiana Workforce Commission’s website and learn more about employment opportunities across the state.
Leave a Reply