As Economy Improves, More Employees Quitting Jobs

Photo Courtesy - Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- Employees are starting to say two words bosses haven't heard in years: "I quit!"

Numbers released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that in November, the last month for which data are available, more workers voluntarily left their jobs than were laid off.  Some 1.849 million people quit, compared to 1.657 million who were laid off.

What's more, this was the fourth consecutive month to see quitters come out on top.  The number quitting, says Bureau of Labor economist John Wohlford, is an indication of worker confidence. You don't leave a job, even a crummy one, unless you think you can find another.  And you don't leave a good job unless you think you can find a better one.

"It's an important number," says John Challenger, president of executive outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

"When unemployment is high, employers are in the driver's seat.  Now job insecurity is dissipating; people are starting to vote with their feet," he said.  "This may signal there's some shift beginning to occur."

Challenger says the uptick in people quitting is good news for star performers, whom management will have to work harder to retain.

"You should be identifying your key players," he advised bosses.  "Companies still are very thinly staffed, so losing people can really leave gaps.  It's important for employers to get out in front of this issue."

Lauren Herring, president and CEO of Impact Group, a global career management firm, said employers are making a mistake if they think they can "bribe" employees into staying.  It's not that money is unimportant.  It's just that other considerations may matter more than compensation.

She cites as proof an employee survey done by Towers Watson that finds salary to be the fourth most important guarantee of worker retention.  Employees ascribed greater importance to such intangibles as having a boss who champions their career and opportunities for advancement.  They said their employer's reputation also matters highly to them.

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