People are quitting their jobs at record rates. It’s being called the Great Resignation, and it’s having a big impact on the moving industry.
Moving Trends Amid COVID and the Great Resignation
Movers have been busy during the pandemic.
The Wall Street Journal says even before the pandemic, many people were leaving big cities for less crowded areas. During the pandemic, this trend became supercharged as widespread furloughs and remote work arrangements made it possible for people to live where they wanted to live, not where their job forced them to live. In just one example, suburban Suffolk County, N.Y., saw a 70% increase in the number of households moving from large metropolitan areas.
Bloomberg says that 82% of urban centers saw more people moving out than in, while 91% of suburban counties more people moving in than out. Most people didn’t move far, but many of them did move out of dense city centers.
Now, the trend is starting to reverse. According to Business Insider, people are flocking back to the big cities as businesses re-open. It will be a while before cities reach their pre-pandemic populations but moves into the cities are increasing.
What will happen when people quit their jobs? Some of them may go back to the suburbs – and that requires yet another move. The point is that the American workforce is redefining itself in a big way. Job changes tend to lead to housing changes, so the moving industry may be busy for a while.
The Great Resignation Is Huge – And Getting Bigger
U.S. workers have quit nearly 20 million jobs between April and August 2021, according to federal data. The Wall Street Journal says that this is about 60% higher than the number of resignations that occurred last year.
The “Great Resignation” started in spring, but it doesn’t seem to be dwindling yet. In fact, The Atlantic says that the movement is accelerating. In August alone, nearly 7% of workers in the accommodations and food services industry said, “I quit.”
And it’s not just the food and accommodations sector. People have been talking about a trucker shortage for a while, and it’s gotten worse. According to CBS News, there are more than 13 loads for every truck at the Long Beach and Los Angeles ports. Smart Trucking says that although many people are interested in becoming truck drivers, qualified professional drivers are leaving the trucking industry in search of better pay, benefits and working conditions. In other words, retention is the problem.
A Trifecta of Challenges for the Moving Industry
The moving industry is facing three key challenges related to the pandemic and the Great Resignation:
- One, the pandemic is still a threat. Moving companies have to comply with new mask and vaccine mandates, and these laws vary from state to state.
- Two, social and economic factors are making moving trends hard to predict. First, the pandemic prompted people to move out of the city. Now, re-openings are forcing them to move back, but many people don’t want to return to the office. If they quit, they may decide to stay in or return to the suburbs.
- Three, movers are quitting, too. Demand is high, but the supply of qualified drivers is limited.
As a result of these three factors, moving companies are having to respond to evolving moving patterns and keep up with COVID safety requirements all while struggling to keep enough workers.
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