About one-quarter of Canadians are thinking about changing their job. In what’s being called either the Great Resignation or the Big Quit, many people are leaving their jobs, finding new ones or changing careers entirely.
The pandemic is changing our lives, and possibly our priorities. Some people may be changing jobs because they’re afraid of catching COVID-19 at work, while others may have decided that life is short and they shouldn’t stick it out in a job they hate. Others may be saving money on rent if they’ve moved out of the city to work from home, or may have saved extra during lockdowns or from government benefits. Some people may have to change jobs due to vaccine requirements, while others may want a remote job to protect family members from the virus. The reasons may be many, but the one sure thing is change.
In Canada, while 25 per cent of people are thinking about a job change, another 20 per cent are undecided whether to stay or quit, Canadian Human Resources ompany LifeWorks reported. Meanwhile, fully half of workers think they’re earning less than they deserve, with Millennials and women the most likely to feel shortchanged, human resource consulting firm Robert Half reported. About one in five employees are ready to quit if they don’t get a raise this year.
What do employees most value? Three-quarters says flexible work schedules are an important priority, while 61 per cent name remote work options as crucial.
So called “churn” in the workforce is rampant in the United States, with 4.3 million Americans – the most ever – quitting their jobs in August, the U.S. Bureau of Labour Statistics reported. The statistics aren’t tracked in exactly the same way in Canada, but we do track the number of people who leave a job voluntarily and remain unemployed and that number is lower than before the pandemic, Statistics Canada reports. But that could simply be because those people are snapped up right away for other jobs. Statistics Canada also tracks the number of people who remain employed from month to month, but who change jobs between months, and those rates are stable.
After years of stagnant wage growth, salaries may be poised to go up as more people decide to switch jobs. They’re up 4.6 per cent over the past two years, which doesn’t even keep up with inflation. Also, the figures are skewed by decreases in employment in lower-paid jobs and decreases in the average length of time people have been in their jobs.
As society begins to reopen from the pandemic and more people start to travel, go out to eat, see movies, attend concerts and other activities, all eyes will be watching to see if the economy recovers fully. At the same time, government benefits are being withdrawn, which could douse the flames of recent inflation. Or maybe not. It’s anybody’s guess.
Unemployment, which peaked at 13.7 per cent in May 2020, is now at 6.9 per cent nationally, the lowest rate since historic lows just before the pandemic began. Among Canadian provinces, B.C. alone has employment above its pre-pandemic level, Statistics Canada reports.
Anecdotally, I hear about empty positions in many sectors and more churn is inevitable as vaccine mandates come into play. About three per cent of B.C. healthcare workers were put on unpaid leave this week because they're not vaccinated. That's a small percentage, but it amounts to more than 4,000 workers, so this change could lead to staffing shortages.
If the Great Resignation causes wages to go up, I say it’s about time. The split between rich and poor is growing and the middle class is hollowing out. (Trips to space, anyone?) COVID-19 has increased inequality, which in turn has intensified the pandemic for the vulnerable. High-quality jobs, with better pay and benefits, can reduce inequality for all.
This pandemic has not been easy for anyone. If it leads people to seek out better jobs, at higher pay with more flexible working conditions, then that will be a positive ramification of COVID-19.
Tracy Sherlock is a freelance journalist who writes about education and social issues. Read her blog or email her [email protected].
