The Great Resignation, quiet-quitting, and a looming recession have caused major changes to the labor force. First, workers quit in droves due to a pandemic-induced burnout. Then, some of the ones who stayed on the job quietly started doing the minimum work required.And more recently have come mass layoffs. The job cuts that started in the second half of 2022 have seeped into 2023, threatening workers across a number of industries, especially tech.The latest trend is young men with at least bachelor’s degrees spending fewer hours working, a study by the National Bureau of Economic Research earlier this month found. They spent an average of 14 hours less annually on the job between 2019 and 2022.The decline was far less over the same period for similarly qualified women, who worked three fewer hours.
“The pandemic may have motivated people to re-evaluate their life priorities and also gotten them accustomed to more flexible work arrangements (e.g., work from home), leading them to choose to work fewer hours, especially if they can afford it,” the report said.
The desire for work-life balance may play out as quiet quitting, in which workers merely coast on the job rather than putting in much effort, according to the report. Working less may also translate into less chance of burnout and more time for hobbies and interests outside jobs. The hours worked also dropped by eight hours on average annually for men who had some form of college education, even if they didn’t complete their degrees. Overall, people in all education categories worked 11 fewer hours per year on average from 2019 to 2022, the study said. The study’s authors argue that since the decline in working hours continued through 2022, it cannot be solely attributed to pande …