5 Jobs Millennials Are Most Likely To Quit and Why
Younger generations, including millennials, have a reputation for job-hopping. Now in their 30s and 40s, many millennial workers are juggling careers with family life and other responsibilities.
“People leave when the value proposition stops working,” Amy Thaler, founder of Mana Advisory Group, wrote in an email. In these industries, she said that can include “compensation, unpredictable schedules, lack of flexibility, tough working conditions, poor frontline management or lack of growth opportunities.”
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Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (BLS JOLTS) showed higher quit rates in food service, retail, arts and entertainment, transportation and warehousing and professional and business services. While this data doesn’t break rates down generationally, experts point to several factors that may help explain why millennials leave these jobs more frequently.
1. Accommodation and Food Services
In July, accommodation and food services had a 4.2% quit rate. This was one of the highest rates among industries tracked by the BLS JOLTS.
According to the BLS, food service work is commonly part-time, and shifts may include early mornings, late evenings, weekends and holidays. It also described serving work as hectic and fast-paced, with workers spending most of their shifts standing and sometimes carrying heavy trays.
Research from the National Restaurant Association (NRA) also found that 77% of restaurant operators reported employee retention as a “significant challenge for their businesses.” An older NRA report also listed lack of growth opportunities, pay and benefits, poor job fit, workplace culture and scheduling issues among the top reasons for high turnover rates.
2. Retail
Retail had a 3.3% quit rate in July, according to BLS JOLTS data. Similar to food services, retail positions often require evening and weekend shifts, and schedules may vary week to week.
“Millennials are now largely in their 30s and early-to-mid 40s,” Thaler wrote. “These folks are managing children, aging parents and a host of other responsibilities; unpredictable scheduling creates friction well beyond the workplace.
For some millennials, flexibility may be less important than knowing schedules in advance. “Someone may be perfectly willing to work on Saturday,” claimed Mike Maffei, executive advisor at MikeMaffei.com and founding partner at AlediumHR. “That's different from finding out on Thursday that you have to work on Saturday.”
Maffei explained that workers with children, working spouses or long commutes don’t necessarily need to choose their own hours, but they do need some predictability to plan their lives.
3. Arts, Entertainment and Recreation
Arts, entertainment and recreation had a 3.1% quit rate in July. According to the BLS, this category includes jobs at performing arts venues, amusement and recreation facilities, spectator sports organizations and other entertainment businesses.
Workers in these jobs often have limited opportunities for advancement, which can give them another reason to look elsewhere. Maffei said employees pay attention to whether the career opportunities they’re promised actually materialize.
4. Transportation, Warehousing and Utilities
Transportation, warehousing and utilities had a 2.2% quit rate in July, BLS reported.
Dennis Vong, a 35-year-old millennial, founder and owner of Inland Power Wash in Southern California, left his job as a technician for a trucking company in 2021. His work involved guiding oversized and heavy-load trucks, maintaining tractors and trailers and traveling between states. During that time, he was also a director of affiliate marketing and SEO at DESIRE Solution, where he still works today.
“Basically, I had two jobs. Can you imagine doing 80 hours of work per week? I was on the road by day, and at night I was doing marketing work,” Vong said.
As he began thinking about getting married and starting a family, the long hours, travel and physical demands were hard to keep up with. “I knew I was making money, but I wanted something more,” he explained. “I wanted to start a family, but my schedule was a hindrance.”
5. Professional and Business Services
Professional and business services, which include professional and technical services, company management and administrative and support services, had a 2.1% quit rate. Career growth may play the biggest role in whether experienced workers stay.
According to Maffei, employees notice when promised advancement opportunities don’t materialize. “If doing a great job just means getting more responsibility without recognition or pay, then the story has been told,” he explained.
This article was provided by MoneyLion.com for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, legal or tax advice.
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