Since inflation triggered in mid-2022, one of the most affected sectors was the labor market, with a growing wave of job cuts that ended up increasing the unemployment rate, coupled with the progressive incorporation of artificial intelligence in certain operational processes that increased uncertainty among American workers.

Now, according to the results of a recent survey published by Robert Half, the trend is that close to 50% of American workers are planning to look for a new job this year, something very similar to what was recorded in 2021 with “the great resignation”, when the Covid-19 pandemic caused many workers to reevaluate their lives, priorities and look for better salary conditions.

However, the data presented by the Robert Half survey contrasts with that analyzed by ADP Research in a report presented at the end of February, which highlighted that the so-called “job permanence” was at the highest levels and which indicated that workers were deciding about their future employment based on the great economic uncertainty that was being experienced at that time.

In this sense, the question arises: What has changed so far? According to the results of Robert Half, after several years of “holding on to employment”, 38% of those surveyed are becoming more flexible again. "This feels like a time of reset. People are taking a step back and wondering if their current role still fits their career goals," said Dawn Fay, president of operations at Robert Half.

Even in mid-May of this year, an analysis by Revelio claimed that approximately 16% of American professionals were quitting their jobs to look for work abroad with less office workload and better remuneration.

For Ege Aksu, an economist at Revelio, currently seeking greater flexibility, “we are facing an increasingly globalized labor market, where everyone can work from anywhere,” he said.

On the other hand, the data collected by Robert Half indicated that a large part of the workers who are looking for another job belong to the health, technology and marketing sectors, and the generations that most crave a job change are generation Z and millennials, since their motivations include better benefits, career advancement, remote work options and higher salaries.

According to Ruth Thomas, chief compensation strategist at Payscale, "the labor market had been in a 'holding on to a job' phase, where employees stayed not because they were satisfied, but because uncertainty made changing jobs seem risky. We are seeing this beginning to change," she said.