Across many friends and family members and my own experience, there is nowhere near a 26% regret rate, at any point in time or through the cycle.
Sometimes, it's clear that a divorce is needed, and resumes are sent, interviews are had, and a job (or career) change is executed. When a lot of thought and deliberation goes into a jump, it's usually successful.
This time, it's different. I believe the pandemic conditioned people to feel they don't need co-workers, a culture, or anything except their Maslows, TikTok, and wifi. The return to office effort, which is more about sustaining a corporate culture than anything else, is rejected by these newly-conditioned citizens. Off they go, for more money and 100% remote work.
Then, they realize that culture IS real AND they're not a good fit for their new employer who, with zillions in commercial real estate investment, WILL "adjust" their remote work promise, and make people return to the office. They're making more but feeling worse. The big problem, is their prior employer has replaced them, the economy is slowing down and the job market is cooling off, and they're stuck (for a while).
This corporate problem is tied to the American cultural problem. Many of us still believe in a national identity, one founded in life, liberty and property, the rule of law, respect for others' rights, and an understanding that you can always emigrate to Europe if you hate America.
Half of the nation detests everything in the prior sentence, and is working overtime to shred that national identity.
The Great Regret, is a harbinger for those who think life will be grand under statism. Except unlike with a job, there's no escape hatch.
How many of us actually did that?
Very true, but it seems like the bad employers are coming out of the wood work these days. There has got to be a happy medium somewhere.
Very well said, sir. I will throw one more thing out. I’m retired now and just got an 8.7% raise from social security.
Because I moved to a part of the country with a very low cost of living, it’s as though I was living in Seattle right now on today’s social security, but at the 1965 cost of living.