If they haven’t quit yet, it’s likely they will soon.
The term “Great Resignation” was first coined in the spring of 2021 as a record number of Americans voluntarily left jobs. And the trend shows no sign of abating, especially with the younger generation.
A recent study from Lever found that 65% of Gen Zers plan to leave their job by the end of the year, and 40% across generations say they’ll quit in the coming months.
Ashley, a 25-year-old who also declined to give her last name for professional reasons, is one Gen Zer who recently left a job. On Monday, she gave notice to leave her gig as a nurse at a major research institution in Boston after working there for nearly a year.
When she learned that her friends working as traveling nurses were making three times her salary and getting to live all across the country, she decided it was time to give notice.
“[They] couldn’t have done anything for me to stay,” Ashley told The Post, noting that she felt burnt out after working in an Intensive Care Unit unit during COVID.
She started her job hunt two weeks ago and quickly found a new opportunity. She will be starting as a traveling nurse in San Diego, Calif., in January. This will be her fourth job since graduating from college in 2018.
While older generations might balk at the idea of switching jobs so often, it’s become increasingly common for younger workers. The average worker in the US spends about four years and seven months at a job, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, but Gen Z only spends an average of two years and three months at a gig, Career Builder found.
“It’s completely normal for career starters to be experimental because they’re still trying to figure out what they want out of a job,” Elizabeth Lintelman, Director of Career Services at American Public Education Inc., a provider of higher education to working adults, told The Post.
Mariana, a 25-year-old who works as a social media coordinator, has been thinking of quitting her job ever since her company started requiring more in-person time.
“I’m like nooo,” Mariana, who declined to give her last name for professional reasons, told The Post. “I can do [my job] from my toilet.”
She’s been at the same job for two years, which she sees as a good time to move on.
“After talking to recruiters I understand how much I should be getting paid for my years of experience/talent,” she said. “If my company paid me more and allowed more of a hybrid model I would be happy.”
Employees from all generations have noted burnout; a lack of advancement opportunities, flexible hours and location; and the absence of child care as reasons for resigning in recent months. Gen Z aren’t the only ones who want better, but they are the generation that is more likely to ask for it.
“At the end of the day, everybody wants a lot of those same things that Gen Z is more apt to vocalize,” Lintelman said.
Gen Z has gotten a bad rap of late for workplace movements, such as “quiet quitting” and “act your wage,” that have them only putting in the minimum effort required to keep a job.
But, according to the Lever report, they’re not lazy — they just have different principles.
Feeling that their job is doing something positive is critical for younger workers. The survey found that 42% would rather be at a company that gives them a sense of purpose than one that pays more, while 49% of millennials and 56% of Gen Xers would rather work for a company that pays more.
For those thinking about leaving a job — no matter what their age or generation — Lintelman advises weighing the decision carefully.
“If you’re just leaving because you think the grass is greener on the other side without doing your due diligence and research, you’re gonna find yourself in a same position months from now,” she said.