NC in the top 10 of people leaving the workforce

Cheris Hodges, The Laurinburg Exchange, N.C.
·2 min read

Jan. 25—LAURINBURG — A new study shows that North Carolina ranks ninth in the nation for job resignations.

Wallethub, a national credit website, more than 3.6% of the workforce in the state resigned from jobs in the last month and 3.22 % left the workforce in the past year.

By comparison, South Carolinarankes No. 11 in job resignations, Virginia ranks No. 40 and Tennessee ranks No. 23, according to the Wallethub report.

One of those people to do that was Jessica Reed-Hill. She left her position with Scotland County Schools as a teacher's assistant to start The Sugar Hill Kakery, a bakery that opens in downtown Laurinburg this summer.

"A lot of people would think it's crazy, you're trying to do this in the midst of a pandemic. But for believers, this is the best time to go forward with business," she told The Exchange in November.

John Easterling, senior recruiter at Workforce Unlimited in Laurinburg said government subsidies keep some people from the workforce as well as the COVID-19 pandemic.

"You know when someone gets a cold, they don't know if it's COVID. The problem that people are facing is finding a test and getting the results back in time," he said.

Easterling added that some people are concerned about bringing the virus home from work. "People have to do what's best for their family."

He said his company isn't having a problem filling the openings that they have from companies in the area.

The pandemic has caused people to look at working differently.

"I think the pandemic has prompted many people to rethink their priorities in life, and many of those who cannot work remotely now have to factor in the risk of contracting COVID and whether they are receiving adequate compensation for that risk," said professor Michael J. Yelnosky of Roger Williams University.

The return to office work after working remotely has also caused some workers to give up traditional work.

"A good number of employees did quite well working mostly remotely and from home and would like to retain much of this flexibility, even if some office hours are required. Employers who are mandating employees to be in the office all the time, even when their work does not require being in a particular place at a particular time to get it done, are receiving pushback- and may see turnover as a result," said Scott Behson, author of The Whole-Person Workplace and professor, Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Cheris Hodges can be reached at chodges@laurinburgexchange.com.