Jobs/Employment

How The Great Resignation Got Started

Even as businesses reopened from COVID shutdowns, many workers chose not to return.

How The Great Resignation Got Started
Nam Y. Huh / AP
SMS

Shutdowns in 2020 weren't just a grim milestone in the pandemic, but also a turning point in the U.S. economy. Even with relief funds and expanded unemployment, many workers chose not to return as businesses reopened. Economists call it "the Great Resignation."