This Is the Industry People Are Quitting the Fastest

By Douglas A. McIntyre Published Jan 21, 9:00AM EST

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This Is the Industry People Are Quitting the Fastest — © a40757 / iStock via Getty Images

The “Great Resignation” is a term coined by the media and job experts. Americans have been leaving their jobs, voluntarily, in record numbers. According to CNBC, “A record 4.5 million workers quit their jobs in November.” The industry people are quitting the fastest is accommodation and food services.

It is unclear why so many people are stepping away from employment. One theory revolves around the COVID-19 pandemic. Those who can afford not to work do not want to reenter businesses where people work in close proximity – especially older Americans, who seem much more likely to become sick from COVID-19, and even to die. (On the other hand, these are American cities that have added jobs during the pandemic.)

Another theory has its foundation in the notion that fewer people want to return to low-paid jobs. Many hope to hold out for better compensation, in a period when employer needs remain high. (These are the 25 lowest-paying jobs in America.)

Yet another possibility has to do with government assistance given to many Americans. This has allowed them to build financial safety nets in some cases that have made it easier for them to stay out of the workforce, for now.

To determine which industries people were quitting the fastest, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in its January “Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey.” According to the report, the November figure moved 8.9% higher than October’s, with 3% of Americans quitting their jobs in November. The number of people who quit their jobs that month varies substantially from industry to industry, particularly when viewed as a percentage.

Click here to see the industries people are quitting the fastest

The quit level was highest in the accommodation and food services industry at 6.9% in November. These jobs tend to have low pay, and contact with customers and fellow workers can be high, posing a risk of COVID-19 infection. The percentage of people who quit in the leisure and hospitality industry overall was nearly as high, at 6.4%.

21. Finance and insurance
> Pct. of workers who quit in Nov. 2021: 1.4%
> Number of quits in Nov. 2021: 95,000
> Number of job openings as of Nov. 2021: 407,000

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20. Financial activities
> Pct. of workers who quit in Nov. 2021: 1.7%
> Number of quits in Nov. 2021: 154,000
> Number of job openings as of Nov. 2021: 538,000

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19. Educational services
> Pct. of workers who quit in Nov. 2021: 1.7%
> Number of quits in Nov. 2021: 62,000
> Number of job openings as of Nov. 2021: 168,000

18. Mining and logging
> Pct. of workers who quit in Nov. 2021: 2%
> Number of quits in Nov. 2021: 13,000
> Number of job openings as of Nov. 2021: 36,000

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17. Information
> Pct. of workers who quit in Nov. 2021: 2%
> Number of quits in Nov. 2021: 54,000
> Number of job openings as of Nov. 2021: 163,000

16. Durable goods
> Pct. of workers who quit in Nov. 2021: 2.1%
> Number of quits in Nov. 2021: 167,000
> Number of job openings as of Nov. 2021: 522,000

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15. Manufacturing
> Pct. of workers who quit in Nov. 2021: 2.3%
> Number of quits in Nov. 2021: 293,000
> Number of job openings as of Nov. 2021: 858,000

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14. Wholesale trade
> Pct. of workers who quit in Nov. 2021: 2.3%
> Number of quits in Nov. 2021: 132,000
> Number of job openings as of Nov. 2021: 322,000

13. Other services
> Pct. of workers who quit in Nov. 2021: 2.3%
> Number of quits in Nov. 2021: 134,000
> Number of job openings as of Nov. 2021: 451,000

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12. Real estate and rental and leasing
> Pct. of workers who quit in Nov. 2021: 2.5%
> Number of quits in Nov. 2021: 59,000
> Number of job openings as of Nov. 2021: 131,000

11. Nondurable goods
> Pct. of workers who quit in Nov. 2021: 2.6%
> Number of quits in Nov. 2021: 126,000
> Number of job openings as of Nov. 2021: 336,000

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10. Construction
> Pct. of workers who quit in Nov. 2021: 2.7%
> Number of quits in Nov. 2021: 207,000
> Number of job openings as of Nov. 2021: 345,000

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9. Transportation, warehousing, and utilities
> Pct. of workers who quit in Nov. 2021: 2.7%
> Number of quits in Nov. 2021: 178,000
> Number of job openings as of Nov. 2021: 589,000

8. Education and health services
> Pct. of workers who quit in Nov. 2021: 2.8%
> Number of quits in Nov. 2021: 660,000
> Number of job openings as of Nov. 2021: 2 million

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7. Health care and social assistance
> Pct. of workers who quit in Nov. 2021: 3%
> Number of quits in Nov. 2021: 598,000
> Number of job openings as of Nov. 2021: 1.8 million

6. Trade, transportation, and utilities
> Pct. of workers who quit in Nov. 2021: 3.6%
> Number of quits in Nov. 2021: 996,000
> Number of job openings as of Nov. 2021: 2 million

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5. Professional and business services
> Pct. of workers who quit in Nov. 2021: 3.7%
> Number of quits in Nov. 2021: 798,000
> Number of job openings as of Nov. 2021: 1.8 million

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4. Arts, entertainment, and recreation
> Pct. of workers who quit in Nov. 2021: 3.7%
> Number of quits in Nov. 2021: 82,000
> Number of job openings as of Nov. 2021: 172,000

3. Retail trade
> Pct. of workers who quit in Nov. 2021: 4.4%
> Number of quits in Nov. 2021: 686,000
> Number of job openings as of Nov. 2021: 1 million

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2. Leisure and hospitality
> Pct. of workers who quit in Nov. 2021: 6.4%
> Number of quits in Nov. 2021: 1 million
> Number of job openings as of Nov. 2021: 1.5 million

1. Accommodation and food services
> Pct. of workers who quit in Nov. 2021: 6.9%
> Number of quits in Nov. 2021: 920,000
> Number of job openings as of Nov. 2021: 1.3 million

About the Author Douglas A. McIntyre →

Douglas A. McIntyre is the co-founder, chief executive officer and editor in chief of 24/7 Wall St. and 24/7 Tempo. He has held these jobs since 2006.

McIntyre has written thousands of articles for 24/7 Wall St. He is an expert on corporate finance, the automotive industry, media companies and international finance. He has edited articles on national demographics, sports, personal income and travel.

His work has been quoted or mentioned in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, NBC News, Time, The New Yorker, HuffPost USA Today, Business Insider, Yahoo, AOL, MarketWatch, The Atlantic, Bloomberg, New York Post, Chicago Tribune, Forbes, The Guardian and many other major publications. McIntyre has been a guest on CNBC, the BBC and television and radio stations across the country.

A magna cum laude graduate of Harvard College, McIntyre also was president of The Harvard Advocate. Founded in 1866, the Advocate is the oldest college publication in the United States.

TheStreet.com, Comps.com and Edgar Online are some of the public companies for which McIntyre served on the board of directors. He was a Vicinity Corporation board member when the company was sold to Microsoft in 2002. He served on the audit committees of some of these companies.

McIntyre has been the CEO of FutureSource, a provider of trading terminals and news to commodities and futures traders. He was president of Switchboard, the online phone directory company. He served as chairman and CEO of On2 Technologies, the video compression company that provided video compression software for Adobe’s Flash. Google bought On2 in 2009.