Almost two years into the pandemic, Australian employers are staring down what the rest of the world has been fighting for months. According to blog.flexcareers.com.au, citing US labour statistics, around 4.5 million Americans quit their jobs in January 2022 alone, with workers aged 30 to 45 and the health, social and transport sectors hit hardest. Australia is expected to follow.
That is a serious number, and a serious age band. These are not graduates experimenting. These are mid-career professionals with mortgages, families and options.
- The Great Resignation is expected to reach Australia in the coming months.
- US data showed roughly 4.5 million quits in January 2022.
- Workers aged 30 to 45 made up a record share of those quitters.
- Health, social and transport sectors were hit hardest.
- The piece is co-authored by Josephine Simon and Dr Selby Knan.
Why this wave is different
Earlier waves of resignations were usually about pay. This one is about meaning. The reference frames it as workers re-evaluating the purpose of their work and their lives, and choosing to act on that re-evaluation. That is a much stickier retention challenge than a pay review can fix.
It is also worth noting the timing. Two years of disrupted routines, blurred boundaries and forced reflection has built up a queue of reconsiderations. People who would have left in 2019 are leaving now because they finally have permission, time and clarity.
Who should care
| Group | What the wave means for them |
|---|---|
| Mid-career professionals (30 to 45) | Highest quit rate in the US data. Your skills are in demand. Use the moment. |
| Managers | You will lose people. Build a retention plan before Q3, not after. |
| HR and policy leads | Expect a step change in requests for flexibility, part-time and sabbaticals. |
| Side hustlers and freelancers | A wave of new entrants to the consulting and gig market. Your competitor pool grows. |
| Career changers | Hiring managers will be more open to non-linear CVs. |
What the authors recommend
The piece proposes a structured response: an employer-employee work, life and career plan. It is a tool, not a slogan. The plan combines work circumstances (productivity and learning), life (wellbeing and lifestyle) and career plans (next move and growth).
The benefits the authors list are concrete. Autonomy and flexibility in exchange for meaningful contribution. A holistic view of skills, knowledge and needs. Transparent purpose on both sides. A balanced approach across domains. Help for HR in designing personal arrangements. A shared map of values and milestones. A self-managed toolkit the employee can use without a manager.
Our analysis
For employers, the temptation will be to throw money at the problem. Pay rises help. They do not fix meaning. The workers leaving are, by and large, not underpaid. They are under-considered.
The smarter play is to build a simple, repeatable conversation that surfaces what each person actually values, then to design work around that. That conversation costs almost nothing and pays out for years. It also tells you, quickly, who you will lose and why.
For workers, the same data cuts the other way. If you are 30 to 45 and feeling restless, you are not alone. The wave is real and the demand for experienced mid-career professionals is high. Update your CV, refresh your network and decide what you actually want before the next offer lands.
This is also a side hustle story. Many of the workers quitting are not retiring. They are converting skills into consulting, freelancing or product businesses. The Great Resignation is partly a Great Repackaging.
Worked example: Say you manage a team of 12
Schedule a 30-minute one-to-one with each person this month. Ask three questions. What part of your work feels most meaningful right now. What part feels least. What would need to be true for you to stay for another two years. Write the answers down. Patterns will show up in week two. Act on them in week three.
Bottom line
Money alone will not solve this. Build a simple, honest conversation about meaning, autonomy and next steps, then act on what you hear. The companies that do will keep their people. The ones that do not will be writing job ads in six months.
Key takeaways
- Pay rises help with pay. They do not fix meaning.
- Build a repeatable conversation that surfaces what each person actually values.
- Mid-career professionals should decide what they want before the next offer lands.
- Side hustles are a real exit ramp, not a stopgap.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Great Resignation really coming to Australia?
The reference expects it in the coming months, citing the US trend and local signals of workers re-evaluating purpose.
Which sectors are most at risk?
Health, social and transport sectors are highlighted, with workers aged 30 to 45 over-represented.
What is an employer-employee work, life and career plan?
A structured plan combining work, life and career goals, with autonomy and flexibility in exchange for meaningful contribution.
Should I quit while the market is hot?
Decide what you want first. The market rewards people who know what they want, not just those who are tired.
Can a side hustle soften a resignation?
Yes. Many leavers are converting skills into consulting or product work rather than retiring.