“The Great Resignation” hit a new high in August. The Labor Department reported this week that Americans who quit their jobs in August jumped to 4.3 million (nearly 3% of the workforce)—the highest record since December 2000 and up from 4 million in July. Additionally, hiring hit a speed bump in August and September, with open jobs increasing 62% in the past year. Restaurants, bars, and hotels experienced the largest number of quits (up 21% from July), along with the retail and education industries, likely due to workers’ fear of COVID-19 cases that surged due to the Delta variant in August. While public-facing industries were the most-affected, workers across a variety of industries have been reassessing their #careergoals, causing some to quit and find better opportunities. YPulse’s What’s Next for Work trend research found that retail and restaurant/food services are the top two industries workers plan to resign from, and burn out/mental health are major factors influencing Gen Z and Millennial workers’ decision to walk away from a job. (AP News)