...
By Suzanne Blake
Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Employees are quitting their jobs across the country, but the level of resignations depends significantly on the state, according to a new study by RemotePeople.
Iowa had the highest jump in quit rates, growing 0.8 percent from February to March, while Louisiana saw a 0.5 percent drop.
Why It Matters
Job hopping has been common over the last several years, with remote work and flexible hours becoming more standard offerings for companies to attract top talent.
Read More on News
As a result, Americans might be more likely to leave their jobs. However, statewide industries and job markets could play a major role on if workers actually send their resignation letters.
What To Know
In the report from RemotePeople, based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Iowa emerged as the state with the highest increase in job quit rates, jumping 0.8 percent from February to March.
"Iowa's been hit with agricultural layoffs, with John Deere announcing layoffs and Bridgestone announcing buyouts at Iowa plants," Michael Ryan, a finance expert and the founder of MichaelRyanMoney.com, told Newsweek. "But instead of hunkering down, workers are saying 'screw this' and finding new opportunities."
Following Iowa were Illinois, Connecticut, California and Colorado, all seeing somewhere between 0.3 percent and 0.5 percent increases in resignations month over month.
These aren't traditional 'job-hopping' states..." Ryan said, excluding California. "These are places where people historically stayed put, worked the same job for decades, retired with a pension. The fact that they're leading the quit parade says a lot about a shift in how Americans think about work loyalty."
The fact that the states with the highest quit rates are scattered across the country reveals it's not just one industry that's suffering, experts said.
"We're seeing that not just in agriculture, but in other fields that are short-staffed," Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee at Martin, told Newsweek. "Employees are being asked to do increasingly more tasks for the same pay, and that is usually the beginning of the pathway to leaving that role."
In terms of actual quit rates, Indiana had the highest percentage at 2.9 percent for March.
"Employees can negotiate pay or switch jobs more easily in these environments since qualified workers are now at a premium," Kevin Thompson, the CEO of 9i Capital Group and the host of the 9innings podcast, told Newsweek.
"States like Iowa and Illinois rely on manufacturing and food processing. Wages have not kept up with productivity, which leads to higher quit rates throughout those regions, meaning people leave for better pay."
Some states saw their number of job resignations drop, with Louisiana having the highest decline of 0.5 percent. In total, 22 states reported falling quit rates.
...
What People Are Saying
Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee at Martin, told Newsweek: "The fascinating element to these quit rates is how they're fairly evenly spread amongst states nationwide. Interestingly enough, some of the top states where quit rates increased more sizably are locations rich in agricultural jobs. As potential pressures from tariffs and other difficult economic factors have weighed on America's farming workforce, so too has been the ability to retain a workforce."
Michael Ryan, a finance expert and the founder of MichaelRyanMoney.com, told Newsweek: "These are agricultural and manufacturing heartlands where job stability used to be the whole point. When traditional 'stay-put' states start seeing quit rates surge, that's more than just economic data.
"Workers aren't just leaving bad jobs anymore, they're leaving entire sectors that refuse to adapt. People are realizing that 'job security' doesn't mean much if your job doesn't pay enough to build a life on."
Kevin Thompson, the CEO of 9i Capital Group and the host of the 9innings podcast, told Newsweek: "What this reflects is certain industries are seeing productivity gains but not wage gains. When wages lag, people often quit and search for better opportunities that can support the rising cost of living. Workers should anticipate the tight job market to persist as jobs outnumber the availability of workers, meaning there is a lot of choice and employers will need to pay up to keep or attract talent."
What Happens Next
Moving forward, employees are unlikely to stay in one job for decades at a time, unlike some of their parents and grandparents, experts said.
"This data suggests we're not going back to the old days of staying somewhere for 30 years just because it's familiar," Ryan said. "Workers have tasted freedom, and they're not giving it back."
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines