This series is designed to bring together a variety of shorter, readily available podcasts to introduce a topic from recent headlines and inspire discussion.

Over the past couple of weeks, the “Great Resignation” where record numbers of employees are quitting their jobs has appeared in the headlines. As worker priorities have shifted throughout the past year, millions of workers have quit their jobs. 

Here are some 2-4 minute Marketplace podcasts discussing these headlines.

• 10/12 MarketPlace The Great Resignation continues in the U.S. workforce
• 10/20 MarketPlace The Great Resignation is leading workers down new career paths
• 7/8 MarketPlace Morning Report  Why people are quitting their jobs and starting businesses
• 10/20 Make Me Smart (6:05-9:00)  Great resignation--is it purely a US thing? How powerful are workers now?
• 10/27 MarketPlace Morning Report  The “Big Quit” isn’t going away anytime soon

MarketPlace Minutes has also recently covered related labor market news.

• 10/12 Midday Open Jobs in the US 10.4 million
• 10/19 Morning Amazon to hire 150,000 seasonal workers
• 10/19 Midday Labor and materials shortage hit housing market
• 10/20 Closing productivity and hours worked impacted by labor shortage
• 10/21 Midday Labor new and continuing jobless claims at Pandemic low
• 10/22 Morning Amazon workers in NYC attempt to unionize

Assignment:

Determine how much time you want to devote to this activity, and select podcasts to assign to provide students with background information. 

Have students then tackle these discussion questions. This can be done individually, in groups, or as a class. 

1. What are the factors noted in these podcasts that are leading so many people to quit their jobs? (Be as specific as possible.) 
   • Why do some consider this trend to be something positive?
   • Why are many deciding to switch careers or start a business?
2. Which sectors are seeing the largest numbers of people quitting? Do you see the impact in your daily life, like at your school or the businesses you use regularly?
3. What do you think businesses might do to get people to come back to work?

For more resources on the “Great Resignation”, check out this NGPF EconExtra.

If you use this assignment in your class, please let us know how it went!

About the Authors

Ren Makino

Ren started interning at NGPF in 2014, and worked part-time through high school and college. With his knowledge growing alongside NGPF, he joined the team to work full-time after graduating from college in 2020. He is also the producer of the NGPF podcast. During his free time, he likes to try out coffees from different roasters across the world.

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Beth Tallman

Beth Tallman entered the working world armed with an MBA in finance and thoroughly enjoyed her first career working in manufacturing and telecommunications, including a stint overseas. She took advantage of an involuntary separation to try teaching high school math, something she had always dreamed of doing. When fate stepped in once again, Beth jumped on the opportunity to combine her passion for numbers, money, and education to develop curriculum and teach personal finance at Oberlin College. Beth now spends her time writing on personal finance and financial education, conducts student workshops, and develops finance curricula and educational content. She is also the Treasurer of Ohio Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy.

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