In 2021, America experienced the "Great Resignation," where millions of Americans quit their jobs each month. This trend, influenced by the pandemic, prompted many to reassess their job needs and wants.
In Kentucky, Alex Carter, a former bank manager, sought a non-customer-facing job due to negative customer behavior during the pandemic and found fulfillment in a manufacturing company. His experience is not unique; his father also changed jobs, highlighting the widespread job turnover rather than mere resignations.
Economist Mike Clark explains this as the "Great Rotation," with people moving to new jobs in a tight labor market. Josh Hoff, another example, left his job to start a taxi service after personal crises underscored the importance of work-life balance. This shift reflects a broader change in how Americans view work, emphasizing personal fulfillment over traditional career paths.
Vocabulary:
• Resignation: The act of giving up a job or position.
• Pandemic: An outbreak of a disease occurring over a wide geographic area and affecting an exceptionally high proportion of the population.
• Behavior: The way in which one acts or conducts oneself, especially towards others.
• Manufacturing: The making of articles on a large scale using machinery.
• Rotation: used to describe a system in which people or things take turns to perform tasks or duties.
• Turnover: The rate at which employees leave a workforce and are replaced.
• Forklift: A vehicle with a pronged device in front for lifting and carrying heavy loads.
• Esteem: Respect and admiration, typically for a person.
• Self-esteem: Confidence in one's own worth or abilities; self-respect.
• Tight labor market: A situation in which there are more jobs available than workers to fill them, leading to increased competition for employees.
• Self-employed: Working for oneself as a freelancer or the owner of a business rather than for an employer.
• Career move: A change or progression in one's professional life, often involving a new job or role.
• Breaking point: The moment of greatest strain at which someone or something gives way.
Source: BBC news