LEXINGTON, Ky. (FOX 56/WKYT/AP) – Kentucky leads the nation with the biggest increase in people quitting their jobs as the “great resignation” makes it tough for employers to keep up with demand.
The Bluegrass State was among 14 states where the “quit rate” increased in August, according to new numbers out from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
An estimated 84,000 Kentuckians quit their jobs in August which was a 26,000 person increase compared to the previous month. The resignations translated into a 4.5-point quit rate in August. Kentucky’s quit rate was 3.1 in July.
In calculating the quit rate, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics includes employees who left voluntarily with the exception of retirements or transfers to other locations.
Next to Kentucky, the biggest quit rate increases were in Idaho, South Dakota, and Iowa.
As far as raw data, only Georgia and Illinois had bigger increases in the total number of people quitting their jobs than Kentucky. The month-to-month increases were 35,000 more people in Georgia and 32,000 more people in Illinois. Both of those states’ populations are more than double of Kentucky’s estimated 4.5 million giving them far larger workforces.
The federal government cut off a $300-a-week supplement for unemployed Americans in September.
Labor shortages have persisted longer than many economists expected, deepening a mystery at the heart of the job market. Companies are eager to add workers and have posted a near-record number of available jobs. Unemployment remains elevated. The economy still has 5 million fewer jobs than it did before the pandemic. Yet job growth slowed in August and September.