Will Singapore employers be able to keep the Great Resignation at bay?

OVER the course of a pandemic-gripped year, the so-called Great Resignation has gathered both momentum and attention in the United States, as employees leave their jobs in droves.

The exodus has been occurring across sectors and occupation types, though frontline industries such as retail and hospitality have reportedly seen larger losses. This willingness of workers to leave their jobs despite elevated unemployment and economic uncertainty marks a departure from usual labour market assumptions: that workers quit only when they are confident of securing a better deal, due to favourable conditions.

Various explanations have been advanced, some more specific to the US than others. Some have argued that such mass dissatisfaction is long overdue, given scant worker protections. Others have suggested that the global pandemic has prompted personal reassessments of what truly matters, or what one wants out of life.