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SuccessGreat Resignation

Millennials, not Gen Z, are fueling the Great Resignation

By
Tom Metcalf
Tom Metcalf
and
Bloomberg
Bloomberg
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By
Tom Metcalf
Tom Metcalf
and
Bloomberg
Bloomberg
Down Arrow Button Icon
June 10, 2022, 6:38 AM ET

The Great Resignation has seen workers of all stripes leave their jobs. But millennials are proving particularly flighty.

About two-thirds of bosses say that generation of workers has the highest churn rate in their companies, according to a survey of 72 executives whose firms employ about 400,000 staff. A third of those questioned said Gen Z staff, who are in their early to mid-20s, were the most likely to depart and just 4% said Gen X, who are in their 40s and 50s, are the biggest quitters.

The past two years have highlighted “a growing disconnect between head office and their frontline,” said Mark Williams, EMEA managing director at WorkJam, the software company that carried out the survey. “Employees don’t feel heard and appreciated.”

Companies across industries and countries have been battling rising turnover as workers continue to ditch their jobs in record numbers. The departures have been fueled in part by a pandemic-driven sense that life is too short to get stuck is an unsatisfying job.

That’s borne out by the survey, which suggested the most common reason for Gen Z departures was a lack of appreciation, followed by a desire for more flexibility and frustration with career progression.

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