WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans quit their jobs at a record pace for the second straight month in September, while businesses and other employers posted a near-record number of available jobs.
The Labor Department said Friday that 4.4 million people quit their jobs that month, or about 3% of the nation’s workforce. That’s up from 4.3 million in August. There were 10.4 million job openings.
The figures point to a historic level of turmoil in the job market as newly-empowered workers quit jobs to take higher pay that is being dangled by increasingly-desperate employers in need of help. Incomes are rising, Americans are spending more and the economy is growing. Rising inflation, however, has offset the pay gains for workers.