Connecticut's Job Resignation Rate is 3rd Lowest in the Nation, Data Shows

There’s a whole lot of quittin’ goin’ on across the nation.  In Connecticut, however, not so much.

According to a new analysis of data reflecting the past year and the past month, Connecticut had the third lowest job resignation rate in the nation, during both time periods.

During the past year, the job resignation rates were lowest in New York, District of Columbia, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Washington, New Jersey, California and Maryland. At the opposite end of the spectrum, the highest job resignation rates were in Alaska, Nevada, Georgia, Kentucky, Hawaii, Mississippi, Montana, South Carolina, Wyoming, Idaho and West Virginia.

Connecticut’s job resignation rate last month was 2.20%, just slightly higher than the past year, which was 2.17%.  The year-long number for New York was 1.87%, for Alaska 3.98%.  The data, obtained from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), was analyzed by the financial services website WalletHub. 

“With the pandemic … there was a sharp increase in home care – over 1% of adults report that they are home because of personal or family Covid-related conditions,” points out Gerald Friedman, Professor of Economics – University of Massachusetts at Amherst, discussing the nationwide numbers. “In addition, others, especially women, are staying home because of the loss of child-care, or concerns about exposure. We would expect that containing the virus should lead to increased labor force participation.”

The website indicates that “as the economy has started to recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a surge in job openings, with some employers having a difficult time filling all their open positions. As a result, new applicants have a lot of leverage. The incentives available from changing jobs, as well as a desire to get away from careers impacted most by COVID-19, are two big factors driving what’s been dubbed the “Great Resignation,” with millions of Americans quitting their jobs each month.”

Friedman also sited BLS data related to the percentage of people who teleworked because of the coronavirus pandemic. According to the data, women are more likely to telework than men (16.6% vs. 14.3). Blacks (12.3%) and Hispanics (9.3%) less than whites (14.9%) and Asians much more (26.9%). More than 25% of those with a bachelor’s degree or higher teleworked, compared with about 10% or less among those with some college or an associate’s degree, or less education.

He predicts the telework trend will continue, even as the pandemic lessens.

“I expect it to continue, even accelerate. First, there were costs to establishing telework programs but once they were set up, it is a lot cheaper to keep them going.  Reestablishing MWF 9-5 will require new investment in rent etc. Second, workers are used to telework, and they, and consumers, find it convenient.”