In uplifting news, California once again generated more new jobs than any other state with 97,000 openings in October 2021, accounting for nearly 20% of the country’s total job gains for the month despite effects of The Great Resignation. Over the past nine months straight, the state has averaged six-figure job growth in a rapid recovery from the economic turmoil left by COVID-19. On a national scale, the amount of U.S. job openings jumped from 431,000 to 11 million – all on the last day of October, according to the Labor Department’s monthly Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey.
Experts say the Great Resignation is playing a part in these rapid recoveries, since resignations leave openings for other willing candidates. The quits were most significant in September, when nearly 4.5 million U.S. workers quit their jobs – all in a single month. As we’ve mentioned in a previous blog post (New EDD Guidelines & The Great Resignation), the Great Resignation is a semi-trend where people are more willing to jump ship and try out a new career opportunity for the sake of personal and mental health. The Harvard Business Review remarks how resignation rates appear highest among employees in the middle of their careers, as well as workers in the tech and healthcare industries.
This Great Resignation is especially exacerbated by the pandemic, which has driven many to look at their personal and professional lives through a fresh perspective. Plenty of employees came to the realization that they disliked their current job, while others have decided to take a new career path, all the more motivated by the uncertainty brought by COVID-19.
For more information on the employment landscape in California, the struggles of working parents, or for updates concerning the Great Resignation, take a look at these publications:
- Reuters dives into the U.S. job statistics in October, where the country saw 11 million job openings on the last day of the month and a 21-month low unemployment rate of 4.2%.
- The First Tuesday Journal looks at the Great Resignation’s impact on a national level, as well as its arrival in California. The article lists out the main reasons why workers appear to be quitting in waves, such as difficulty in finding childcare with school closings throughout the pandemic, or elderly at-risk decisions to retire early due to inherent dangers of in-office work.
- Forbes breaks down the statistics of the Great Resignation, such as fluctuations in job openings versus resignations, the industries hit hardest, and the events which created jobs while pushing workers to quit.
Experienced Employment Law Attorney, Mediator, Arbitrator, Investigator, Legal and Media Commentator
Twice-named a U.S. News Best Lawyer in America for employment and labor law, Angela Reddock-Wright is an employment and labor law attorney, mediator, arbitrator, and certified workplace and Title IX investigator (AWI-CH) in Los Angeles, CA. Known as the “Workplace Guru,” Angela is an influencer and leading authority on employment, workplace/HR, Title IX, hazing, and bullying issues. Furthermore, she’s been named a “Top California Employment Lawyer” by the Daily Journal and one of Los Angeles’ “Most Influential Minority and Women Attorneys” by the Los Angeles Business Journal.
Angela is a regular legal and media commentator and analyst and has appeared on such media outlets as Good Morning America, Entertainment Tonight, Law and Crime with Brian Ross, Court TV, CNN, NewsNation, ABC News, CBS News, Fox 11 News, KTLA-5, the Black News Channel, Fox Soul – The Black Report, NPR, KPCC, Airtalk-89.3, KJLH Front Page with Dominique DiPrima, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the LA Times, Forbes.com, Yahoo! Entertainment, People Magazine, Essence Magazine, the Los Angeles Sentinel, LA Focus, Daily Journal, Our Weekly and the Wave Newspapers.
Angela is a member of the panel of distinguished mediators and arbitrators with Judicate West, a California dispute resolution company. She also owns her own dispute resolution law firm, the Reddock Law Group of Los Angeles, specializing in the mediation, arbitration, and investigation of employment discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and other workplace claims, along with Title IX, sexual harassment, assault, and misconduct conduct cases, along with hazing and bullying cases in K-12 schools, colleges and universities, fraternities and sororities; fire, police and other public safety agencies and departments; and other private and public sector workplaces.
Reddock-Wright has also launched her own radio show, Legal Lens with Angela Reddock-Wright, airing on Tavis Smiley’s new KBLA Talk 1580 radio station on Saturdays at 11:00 a.m. PT with replays on subsequent Sundays. Listeners may tune-in by downloading the APP @kbla1580 and call the PowerLines at 1-800-920-1580.
For more information regarding resources for employers, businesses, and employees during this time, connect with her on LinkedIn for new updates, or contact her here. You may also follow her on Instagram.
This communication is not legal advice. It is educational only. For legal advice, consult with an experienced employment law attorney in your state or city.