Seven global economists weigh in on predictions of increased turnover and offer strategies to boost employee engagement. 

Key Takeaways 

  • Economic and cultural factors make it unlikely that job-hopping will increase in 2025, but many employees are feeling dissatisfied and disengaged.
  • While employers may fear turnover, a healthy amount of quitting and job-hopping is good for the economy and labour market, and in the regions we surveyed, increased turnover would be a positive sign.
  • Strategies to keep workers satisfied and motivated include learning and development opportunities, remote and hybrid flexibility, and transparency around the potential for pay rises and advancement.

Heading into 2025, a provocative prediction began to make headlines: This will be the year of 'revenge quitting'. Employee dissatisfaction, kept at a simmer as workers prioritised holding on to their jobs, will finally boil over. Workers will express their pent-up frustration by quitting – and slamming the door behind them.

To find out the truth behind the headlines, we spoke to seven economists with the Indeed Hiring Lab, Indeed’s economic research arm that tracks and analyses millions of data points across Indeed’s site, including job postings, resumes and user behaviour, to study trends in the global labour market. 

They broke down the economic factors that impact workers’ likelihood to quit. It turns out that revenge quitting is probably not a real concern – but employee dissatisfaction is. Glassdoor reported that 65% of US employees feel stuck* in their current roles. A global survey by Gallup found that 62% of employees worldwide are disengaged* from their work. Left unchecked, this dissatisfaction drags down productivity, even if it doesn’t drive turnover.

Here, Hiring Lab economists in key job markets around the world share their perspectives on quitting, employee sentiment and what employers can do to keep workers engaged. 

In the US: Don’t fear the quits rate

Cory Stahle, Indeed Hiring Lab Economist focused on the US labour market

When I see predictions of ‘revenge quitting', I ask whether workers are dissatisfied with their employers or if they’re frustrated by a job market that’s much softer than it was at the peak of the pandemic. Many workers are accustomed to switching jobs every three to five years or so. If they’re ready to move on and the opportunities aren’t there, they feel stuck.

The soft job market, however, is typically a reason people don’t quit. Employers here are hiring at some of the lowest rates that we’ve seen in about a decade, and that’s weighing on workers’ confidence. 

The quits rate – the number of people voluntarily leaving their jobs each month – is an indicator of workers’ confidence in the job market, and it has been dropping for a few years now. The quits rate is unlikely to spike any time soon, but it has just started to level off as the job market has begun to stabilise. That means more turnover, but realise this: a healthy quits rate is positive for the economy and the labour market, so this is good news, not a sign of danger.

In Canada: It’s an employer’s market, but employee wellbeing is still key

Brendon Bernard, Indeed Hiring Lab Economist focused on the Canadian labour market

By all indications, the number of people quitting their jobs in Canada is quite low and likely to stay that way. Employer demand has cooled off, and uncertainty about trade and American tariffs is making job seekers more cautious. The share of workers changing employers month to month is way below what we typically see.

At the same time, population growth has been really rapid over the past two years, entirely driven by migration from abroad, especially foreign students and temporary workers. Population growth will likely begin to slow, but for now, there are more job seekers and fewer job opportunities, which creates congestion in the labour market. It's getting tougher to land your first job, so we’re seeing a greater share of youth who’ve never had a job before, and it's taking longer for people who are out of work to find re-employment.

It’s not a job seeker’s market, but neglecting a strong focus on employee satisfaction is still a risky gambit. An unsatisfied worker is less productive than a satisfied one. Work wellbeing should always be top of mind, regardless of the state of the economic cycle. 

In Australia: Opportunities abound, but people aren't job-hopping

Callam Pickering, Indeed Hiring Lab Economist focused on the Australian labour market

The Australian job market remains incredibly tight by historical standards. At the end of 2024, Indeed job postings for Australia were around 55% above prepandemic levels, which is very high compared to other English-speaking countries. There's an unusual dynamic at play, though: There are certainly jobs out there for people who want new opportunities or higher pay, but we're not seeing any real increase in job-hopping. 

One reason is that, for many people, the economy and the job market probably feel a lot worse than they actually are. GDP per capita has declined for the past seven quarters in Australia, and that’s usually what you would associate with a pretty severe recession – but we haven’t had one. Still, there's been a big decline in the purchasing power of Australian incomes, which is making people feel a lot poorer, and they're more cautious about quitting than we'd expect when there are this many jobs available. It's unfortunate because with cost-of-living pressures, looking for that new job that pays 10% more would be really advantageous. 

A thoughtful approach to benefits and perks is a great way for employers to attract and retain talent in this competitive market. A key example is that many companies are using parental leave policies to appeal to workers, particularly to attract women to more traditionally male-dominated occupations. 

In Japan: Mobility is increasing due to wage growth and cultural change

Yusuke Aoki, Indeed Hiring Lab Economist focused on the Japanese labour market

For the last decade, the quits rate has been at quite a low level, but since 2022, it has increased significantly. This mirrors a rise in wage growth, which began in 2022 for the first time in many years. That means workers are quitting to seek higher salaries, but employee satisfaction is a factor as well. Young people want to have more ownership over their careers than previous generations did and are more interested in having jobs they feel passionate about. It's more common now to see people in their 20s and 30s changing jobs. 

The quits rate is also increasing for people in their 40s, which means there are more opportunities at the manager and director levels. This is likely because many companies are focused on expanding their businesses and are seeking experienced candidates who can lead those efforts. 

Salary transparency is required by law in Japan, so 97% of job postings share salary information. To stand out, companies are now also sharing information on the longer-term potential for salary increases and the likelihood that someone in that position will be promoted. 

In the UK: The importance of flexibility is driving innovation

Jack Kennedy, Indeed Hiring Lab Senior Economist focused on the UK/Ireland labour market

In the UK, our data from Indeed’s Jobs Posting Index shows that hiring is 15% below the pre-pandemic baseline, which is below most other markets. On top of that, policy changes in the new government's budget require a substantial hike in social security contributions. As a result, we’re likely to see reduced hiring and weaker wage growth, which will probably discourage job-hopping.

However, in lower-paid, largely in-person job categories, we see strong wage growth in excess of 7%. The labour supply for those jobs is constrained by Brexit’s limitations on migrant workers and a reduction in labour force participation due to rising rates of long-term sickness in the UK.

At both ends of the labour market, flexibility with remote work is a powerful tool for attracting and retaining employees, as well as an opportunity to hire talent from competitors that are pushing harder on return to office. We’re even seeing employers offer new forms of flexibility, such as four-day working weeks. It’s still pretty niche – mentioned in only about 1% of UK job postings – but interestingly, occupations that are least able to offer remote work are more likely to offer flexibility in the form of four-day workweeks. 

In Germany: Quitting isn’t in the culture

Virginia Sondergeld, Indeed Hiring Lab Economist focused on the German labour market

There's a German word, eigengewächs, that means homegrown, like a plant that you grow in your own house. But it’s used to describe a person who builds their career at one company, like a C-suite leader who started as a trainee. Culturally, that’s highly respected and valued. We don’t have a strong quitting culture.

In addition, the economy hasn’t been doing well in the last couple of quarters, and we are expecting only very weak growth in 2025. Labour demand is stagnating or even falling in some occupations, and big German industries like car manufacturing have had layoffs. People are seeking security and holding on to their jobs, and we do not expect that to change in 2025, as the economic outlook is still poor. 

Still, just because employees are holding on to their jobs doesn’t mean they’re happy. There's very little movement in the labour market, and fewer opportunities to get promoted and grow within the company. Many employees are missing personal development and opportunities to build new skills, such as developing leadership competencies or using AI in their work. Learning and development are opportunities for employers to keep workers motivated and engaged.

In France: Employer brand, social responsibility and thoughtful management make a difference 

Alexandre Judes, Indeed Hiring Lab Economist focused on the French labour market

Revenge quitting is not really a trend in France. Resignation numbers remain in line with historically low unemployment levels. 

However, career mobility is limited for some workers due to the high importance of degrees and diplomas, which creates significant barriers to switching industries. Additionally, lower-skilled sectors such as food service, care and sanitation suffer from a negative public perception, making it difficult for workers in these fields to transition into higher-paying roles. Many avoid these jobs because they offer little career progression, contributing to persistent labour shortages.

For employers, raising wages is challenging given France’s sluggish economic growth – GDP is projected to grow by only around 1% in 2025 and 2026. Instead, many focus on strengthening their employer brand and corporate social responsibility. Another key area for improvement is management quality, particularly in leadership styles, workplace flexibility and allowing employees greater autonomy in choosing how they work. Enhancing these aspects could boost both employee satisfaction and productivity.

The takeaway: Revenge quitting is unlikely to be a factor in labour markets worldwide, but employee dissatisfaction is still a cause for concern. To keep productivity and morale high in uncertain economic times, employers should listen to their workforce and find innovative ways to address the causes of dissatisfaction that matter most in their part of the world.

*Article written in US English.