Have you ever found yourself just going through the motions at work? You’re not alone.

The employees of today are constantly on the hunt for growth opportunities, and when the potential to move up the ladder is inaccessible or doesn’t exist in the first place, they’re quitting more than previous generations. An increase in employee turnover can be alarming to any company, but behind a great employee leaving, there are solid reasons as to why they chose to do so.

Every year, more and more people all across the US are leaving their jobs. Gallup reports that 53% of workers are not engaged while at work. This number is alarming and seeing any employee leave a company can throw the team off. But the two main reasons for resignation make total sense.

In this article, we’ll take a look at 60 eye-opening statistics on why people are quitting their jobs more often and hopefully inspire employers to improve employee experience across the company.

Looking for something specific? Feel free to jump ahead:
Employee turnover statistics
How culture correlates with resignation
How career development impacts retention
Remote work options increase retention
Burnout is real
Compensation and quitting
Stress at work + work-life balance
Why employee engagement matters
How management affects employee turnover
The impact of employee success
Diversity matters
Other employee turnover statistics

Why employees quit: the cold hard truth

There can be a variety of factors that contribute to an employee’s decision to quit their job. From the lack of career growth to the office culture, these statistics will give you insight into how employees across the US feel about their jobs.

Employee turnover statistics

• 30% of job seekers have left a job within 90 days of starting. (Jobvite)
• 50% of employees voluntarily leave in the first two years of employment. (Manila Recruitment)
• 32% of employees plan to change jobs this year. (CareerBuilder)
• 82% of employees said they’d be more loyal and less likely to leave if they had more flexible jobs. (FlexJobs)
• $11 Billion is lost annually due to employee turnover. (Bureau of National Affairs)
• Over 50% of global companies have difficulty addressing employee retention. (Manila Recruitment)
• 30% of American workers say their job is “just a job to get them by.” (Pew Research Center)
• Women (44%) are more likely than men (39%) to leave their current job for a new one with a flexible work environment. (Globe Newswire)

How culture correlates with resignation

• 43% of surveyed employees claim corporate culture was the main reason for their search for a new job. (Hays)
• A strong learning culture led to 30-50% high retention rates in companies. (Robert Half)
• Employees who say there's a low level of respect among colleagues are 26% more likely to quit their jobs. (TINYpulse)
• 72% of surveyed professionals say having more work benefits would increase their job satisfaction. (Zoro)
• 79% of American workers say company culture is an important job satisfaction factor. (Speakap)
• More than 50% of CEOs say corporate culture influences productivity, creativity, profitability, company value, and growth rate. (Recruit Loop)

How career development impacts retention

• Lack of growth was cited as a reason by 13% of younger workers. (Jobvite)
• Employees who feel like they use their best strengths and abilities at work are 15% less likely to quit their job. (Gallup)
• 58% of workers said their companies didn't currently have enough growth opportunities for them to stay long term. (Randstad)

Remote work options increase retention

• 37% of employees would quit and take a new job that allowed them to work remotely part of the time. (Gallup)
• Companies that support flexible hours and remote working conditions have a 25% lower employee turnover rate. (Manila Recruitment)
• 42% of employed Americans would change jobs for another that offers the possibility of working remotely, but only 24% would switch jobs for a shorter commute. (Global Newswire)

Burnout is real

• According to a study by Kronos, 20-50% of the reason employees quit is because of burnout. (Kronos)
• 36% of millennials feel their job has a negative impact on their health. (O.C. Tanner)
• 42% of millennials who have worked 2-4 different jobs said their job creates a large amount of stress. (O.C. Tanner)
• Almost 10% of HR leaders blame employee burnout for causing more than 50%of workforce turnover each year. (Kronos)

Compensation and quitting

• Money may not be the problem. Only 12% of employees actually leave their job because they want more money. (CareerBuilder)
• 71% of employees would accept a pay cut to take a better job. (Hays)
• 62% of millennials are willing to quit their job in the next two years to work in the gig economy. (Deloitte)
• 19% of workers reported compensation as the top factor for job-hopping. (Jobvite)
• 89% of employers think employees leave for more money but in reality, only 12% do. (Gallup)
• 59% of employees feel their companies view profits or revenue as more important than how people are treated. (Randstad)

Stress at work + work-life balance

• Employees who rate their work-life balance highly are 10% more likely to stay at their company. (TINYpulse)
• 82% of younger workers check emails after hours, as compared to 66% of older workers. (Jobvite)
• Generation X (employees born between 1961 and 1981, reported the highest levels of stress at work and have the highest risk of leaving their job. (Hays)
• 83% of millennials consider work-life balance to be the most important factor in evaluating a potential job. (FlexJobs)

Why employee engagement matters

• Engaged employees are 59% less likely to seek out a new job or career in the next 12 months. (Gallup)
• 92% of employees said that they would be more likely to stay with their jobs if their bosses showed more empathy. (Businesssolver)
• Engaged teams generate 21% more profit than their disengaged counterparts. (Gallup)
• 53% of HR professionals say employee engagement rises when onboarding is improved. (SilkRoad)

• Highly engaged employees are 87% less likely to leave their companies than their less engaged counterparts. (Corporate Leadership Council)
• 50% of employees feel like they have a career while the remaining 50% feel like they have just a job. (CareerBuilder)
• 62% of workers in the US are engaged at work, compared to 48% in the UK, 56% in Australia, and Hong Kong – the lowest-scoring country with just 42%. (Qualtrics)
• Companies with engaged employees pull in 2.5x more revenues compared to competitors with low engagement levels. (Hay Group)

How management affects employee turnover

• Management transparency generates 30% better retention rates. (Manila Recruitment)
• Employees who rate their supervisor’s performance poorly are 4x as likely to be job hunting. (TINYpulse)
• 9 in 10 HR leaders agree that ongoing feedback and check-ins have a positive impact on their organizations. (Workhuman)
• Only 40% of the workforce reports knowing their company’s goals, strategies, and tactics. (Bain)
• Those whose managers consistently help them manage their workload are 8x more likely to stay at their company. (Qualtrics)
• 75% of employees who voluntarily leave jobs quit their bosses, not their jobs. (Roger Herman)
• Fifty-three percent had left jobs, or considered leaving because they believed their employers didn't recruit or retain high-performing individuals. (Randstad)

The impact of employee success

• It was found that employees who feel they are progressing in their careers are 20% more likely to stay at their companies in one year’s time. (TINYpulse)
• 22% of workers who don't feel recognized when they do great work have interviewed for a job in the last three months compared to just 12.4% who do feel recognized. (TINYpulse)
• 69% said they would be more satisfied if their employers better utilized their skills and abilities. (Randstad)

Diversity matters

• Organizations with ethnically and gender-diverse staff are 21% to 31% more likely to have financial returns above industry medians. (McKinsey)
• Workers who say their company provides equal opportunities are almost four times more likely to be proud to work for the company. (Salesforce)

Other employee turnover statistics

• It takes up to two years for a new hire to match the productivity of a tenured employee. (Manila Recruitment)
• 90% of employees are more productive with gamification, with 72% of them reporting it inspiring them to work harder. (Medium)
• 78% of HR leaders are more concerned about the talent shortage today than they were a year ago. (Spherion)
• 62% of employees in managerial positions report high job satisfaction levels. (Pew Research Center)
• A great onboarding experience can lock down 69% of employees for at least three years. (O.C. Tanner)

You can go your own way….. (go your own way)

Although the reality of an employee deciding to leave a company is a very sad one, it doesn’t mean the company can’t learn from the experience. To start, loop your human resources team in and work to build a collaborative culture across all teams to encourage employees to work together. Boosting employee engagement is a sure-fire way to create an inclusive and welcoming company culture.

This part is for all the employers or managers out there. No matter what, everyone has the ability to make the call when it’s time to leave. The best thing you can do is to listen to your team and create the best environment possible for them. Take these statistics and use them as you plan for the future.

Want to learn more? Prepare appropriately for new employees with our ultimate onboarding checklist, read up on how to properly communicate with a disgruntled employee, or 5 more tips on how to deal with difficult employees.