{"id":16902,"date":"2021-12-02T15:23:15","date_gmt":"2021-12-02T13:23:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.talentlms.com\/blog\/?p=16902"},"modified":"2025-01-15T15:38:22","modified_gmt":"2025-01-15T13:38:22","slug":"great-resignation-upskilling-reskilling-employees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.talentlms.com\/blog\/great-resignation-upskilling-reskilling-employees\/","title":{"rendered":"The Great Resignation: Could upskilling and reskilling be the solution?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The economy has been through some serious ups and downs over the last two years. First, it was employers letting employees go at the outset of the pandemic. Then, things turned around and companies began to settle into the \u201cnew normal.\u201d And now, in a maybe not-so-surprise twist, it\u2019s employees voluntarily leaving their jobs in what\u2019s become known as \u201cThe Great Resignation.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

From frontline personnel to essential workers to white-collar professionals, people are leaving their jobs in unprecedented numbers<\/strong>. Some industry analysts saw it coming\u2014even if they hadn\u2019t predicted a pandemic would be the cause. For others, it came as a complete surprise. But ready or not, businesses are now dealing with a possible worker shortage.<\/p>\n

The costs of recruiting and hiring new employees can be daunting. A better bet is to retain your top talent\u2014and reskilling and upskilling are powerful tools to help you do just that.<\/p>\n

Is it really the Great<\/em> Resignation?<\/h2>\n

The name itself seems dramatic. Is this shift anything out of the ordinary compared to normal market turnover patterns? The numbers say yes.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In September 2021, 4.4 million American workers left their jobs<\/strong><\/a>\u2014that\u2019s 3% of total employment. Last year, the respective number was 3.3 million.<\/p>\n

This post-pandemic resignation boom is not industry-specific. And it\u2019s not over. About half of the American workforce<\/strong><\/a> says they intend to quit within the next 12 months.<\/p>\n

So what\u2019s driving these widespread departures?<\/p>\n

Why employees are quitting en masse<\/h2>\n

The industries affected by the Great Resignation have different reasons for turnover. Some of the hardest hit were those on the frontlines of essential work during the pandemic\u2014including the retail, hospitality, and healthcare sectors. Employees are seeking new places because of burnout<\/strong> or because they didn\u2019t feel protected<\/strong> in the jobs they had.<\/p>\n

Others, like IT and manufacturing, are suffering fallout because of the changes the pandemic brought to the working landscape. As things shut down and people scrambled to set up remote work, everyone went into survival mode. Priorities changed<\/strong> and people were asked to take on additional work as companies laid off or furloughed colleagues. Work-life balance took a back seat<\/strong> in many instances.<\/p>\n

As the economy has opened back up, there are greater opportunities available through remote work. And people are ready to pursue those opportunities.<\/p>\n

What they\u2019re looking for<\/h3>\n

In recent research<\/strong><\/a>, TalentLMS<\/strong><\/a> in partnership with Workable<\/strong><\/a> surveyed employees in the IT\/Tech industry about the Great Resignation. Key findings shed some light on why employees quit<\/strong>, as well as what would inspire them to stay<\/strong> where they are.<\/p>\n

Respondents cited obvious motivators like salary and flexibility to work from home. But they also reported the following:<\/p>\n