Important Facts For Prelims
Great Resignation
- 19 Jan 2022
- 3 min read
Why in News
Recently, in the aftermath of Covid-19, large numbers of people are embracing the credo of “antiwork”, and walking out of their jobs, especially in the US and European countries.
- A record 4.3 million people resigned in August 2021, up 2,42,000 from July, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
- The American psychologist Anthony Klotz has called it the “Great Resignation” — a call to remap priorities in the work-life equation.
Key Points
- Impact of Covid:
- While those opting out of work include, prominently, employees in the retail and hospitality sectors, many were willing to switch jobs or to re-evaluate their options.
- Many countries in Central and Eastern Europe, have recorded a fall in the skilled labour force.
- However, this could be due to stronger social safety nets.
- Living through and surviving pandemic lockdowns nudged many to see “work-free” living as a viable option.
- Significance of Great Resignation:
- Grievances about low pay, unrealistic deadlines and bad bosses bubbled up from subconscious depths to feed the impulse.
- This also means that these workers have market values beyond their existing employers.
- They are relying on their experience and contacts to bag better job opportunities or choose start-ups.
- There is a general apprehension that not enough capital allocation has been made in capacity building.
- Indian Scenario:
- Due to the absence of social security and unemployment benefits, there are no such phenomena in India.
- The luxury of walking out of jobs was not available to most in India.
- However, remote working has made it possible for corporates and employees to have flexible work models.
- Due to this, the jobs are moving towards people in tier II and tier III cities. Thereby, making a shift in India’s spatial economy.
- Also, work-from-home has triggered changes in the demand structure in the market.
- Further, Indians are switching their jobs in the IT and ITeS sectors.
- Several start-ups have become unicorns and many are hiring in bulk and are ready to pay significantly higher.
- Due to the absence of social security and unemployment benefits, there are no such phenomena in India.