More Than 1 in 5 Employed Americans Plan to Quit Their Jobs Within The Next 12 Months, According to New CareerArc/Harris Poll Study

Nearly 3 in 5 of those planning to resign in the next 12 months (59%) have already started their job search or plan to between now and February 2022

BURBANK, CALIF. – December 2, 2021 – A new U.S. study conducted online by The Harris Poll, among over 2,000 US adults on behalf of CareerArc, the only social recruiting platform purpose-built for talent acquisition, reveals that more than one in five (23%) employed Americans plan to quit their jobs within the next 12 months (Nov 2021-Nov 2022). According to CareerArc’s Great Resignation + Rehire survey, among those who plan to resign within the next 12 months most (70%) are looking to quit between now and February 2022, and 36% are planning to quit before the end of 2021. The desire for better working conditions (32%) tops the list of reasons those who plan to resign in the next 12 months will quit followed by burnout (30%) and higher pay (29%).

“Our survey reveals the Great Resignation is likely to continue into 2022 and offers insight into which areas of improvement can make the most impact on organizations’ talent acquisition and retention in the coming months,” said Jim Bramante, Chairman and CEO at CareerArc. “In a job seekers’ market, companies need to get serious about building a strong employer brand to support their recruitment and retention strategy. Employer authenticity, action, and brand reputation have never been more critical than they are right now, and organizations that act quickly have an immense opportunity to get an ‘unfair’ share of top talent as part of The Great Rehire.”

Employers requiring employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine ranked low on the list (16%) of reasons for resigning among those who plan to quit within the next 12 months. This statistic is notable as the Biden Administration and the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) work to solidify vaccine mandates in the workplace in 2022.

Younger employees (ages 18-34) are more than twice as likely as older employees (ages 35-64) to say they plan to resign from their jobs in the next 12 months (34% vs. 15%).

The majority (59%) of those who plan to quit in the next 12 months are either already looking for a new job or will start their job search between now and February 2022. 11% of those who plan to quit within the next 12 months have no plans of looking for a new job.

Check out the full report here.

Survey methodology: This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of CareerArc between Nov 16-18, 2021 among 2,016 US adults ages 18+, among whom 254 plan to resign within the next 12 months. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables and subgroup sample sizes, please contact BAM at careerarc@bamtheagency.com.

About The Harris Poll

The Harris Poll is one of the longest-running surveys in the U.S., tracking public opinion, motivations, and social sentiment since 1963. It is now part of Harris Insights & Analytics, a global consulting and market research firm that strives to reveal the authentic values of modern society to inspire leaders to create a better tomorrow. We work with clients in three primary areas; building twenty-first century corporate reputation, crafting brand strategy and performance tracking, and earning organic media through public relations research. Our mission is to provide insights and advisory to help leaders make the best decisions possible.

About CareerArc

Founded in 2009, CareerArc has over a decade of experience helping the world’s largest, most exciting brands transform their social media presence into a strategic source of hire. Clients report notable achievements such as a 50% increase in hires, 85% retention rate for candidates hired through the platform, and a per-client average of more than 800 hours of work saved on recruiting each year. CareerArc’s social recruiting software and services give talent acquisition teams the power to communicate their employer brand at scale and drive meaningful brand awareness, affinity, and engagement to achieve their critical hiring demands and recruiting goals. Visit www.CareerArc.com to learn more.