More than half of young people consider changing jobs next year

52% of millennials and generation Z -that is, people of working age and 40 years old or younger- consider changing jobs in the next twelve months, a sign that the phenomenon that in some countries has dubbed “the great renunciation” is far from over.

In the annual study Labor Trends Index published this Wednesday by Microsoft, lhe majority of young people from 31 countries – including Spain, Argentina, Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, the United States, China, India, Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and France – say they contemplate a professional change this year.

Members of these generations – usually defined as people born between 1981 and 2012 – also show a greater interest in working remotely from home and tend to prioritize their personal lives over their professional lives compared to previous generations. , according to the study.

“The Great Resignation”

“The Great Resignation” is the form that has been chosen in United States and other countries to baptize a phenomenon that emerged in the labor market with the pandemic of COVID-19where an unprecedented number of workers are quitting their jobs or changing companies.

In January of this year – the most recent month for which data is available – 4.25 million people voluntarily left their jobs in the United States, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of that country.

This is a much higher figure than was usual before the pandemic -in 2019, the average monthly resignation was 3.5 million; and in 2016, 3 million – and it is close to the historical maximum of the series, registered just a few months ago, last November, when 4.5 million people left their jobs.

The report published by microsoft helps to shed some light on the reason for these resignations, since it indicates that 53% of workers of all ages say they prioritize their health and wellness over worka direct result of the experiences lived during the two years of the pandemic.

This figure fits with US government statistics, according to which the sectors that are experiencing a higher number of resignations are those in which employees have direct contact with the public and are therefore more exposed to the virus, such as restaurants, hospitality, retail and passenger transport.

Women and people with children, at the head

Although this is a general trend, it is particularly people with children (55%) and women (56%) who are most likely to prioritize their health and well-being at work.

Of the 18% of Microsoft respondents who left their jobs in 2021, almost a quarter said they did so for reasons of personal well-being and mental health; another room to reconcile personal and professional life; and 21% for fear of becoming infected with COVID-19.

Curiously, only 19% of those who quit their jobs said they did so because they had not received pay raises or promotions in ranka reason that had traditionally been considered fundamental when establishing the priorities of a professional career.

By regions of the world, Latin America It is the place where the pandemic has had the greatest impact on the expectations that workers have of their working lives, since 70% of respondents now prioritize their health over work more than they did in 2019.

In Europe, by contrast, this percentage is only 44%.

The second annual edition of the Index of Labor Trends from microsoft It was developed from 31,000 surveys conducted in 31 countries and the qualitative analysis of trillions of data from the company’s proprietary professional platforms: LinkedIn and Microsoft 365.