NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — If you left your job during the pandemic, you are not alone.
The number of people resigning from their jobs is setting records. In September, the national quits rate increased 0.1 percentage point to 3.0%, the highest since data were first collected in December 2000. The number of resignations in September rose by 92,000 to 4,362,000.
These are the 10 states with the highest quit rates in September:
- Hawaii (7.1%)
- Montana (4.8%)
- Nevada (4.5%)
- Alaska (4.3%)
- Colorado (4.3%)
- Idaho (4.1%)
- Oregon (3.9%)
- Louisiana (3.8%)
- New Hampshire (3.8%)
- West Virginia (3.8%)
This mass exodus from the workforce is being called "The Great Resignation."
In March, Nashville resident Donna Drehmann left her job.
"I gave my notice, said I'm going to bet on myself... see if can make it out there," said Drehmann. "Looking around, seeing other people leaving high paying jobs or high-pressure jobs, I wasn't the only one, so I kinda leaned into my community leaned into my tribe."
Drehmann worked in customer service for 20 years. This year, she quit, took up gig work and self-published two children's books titled "Things Lady Likes" and "Things Lady Likes: Holiday Edition."
"I always thought I'm going to write a book, but I thought it was going to be a professional book, a book about customer service or customer experience," Drehmann said.
The 55-year-old is writing books about her dog, Lady. They are teaching children lessons about diversity.
"When you step away and find another project or skill you have, that you didn't realize you had, and you're doing it for you... that's pretty remarkable," Drehmann said.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 93,000 Tennesseans left their jobs in October.
Of course, resignations are happening for all different reasons. Some women are quitting to stay home with kids, some older workers are taking earlier-than-expected retirements to be safe while others are quitting to find jobs with better pay and/or benefits.
