Florida is among the top locations for workplace separations, including quitting, according to data released this week by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Separations measured by the bureau include quits, layoffs and discharges and other separations. It also tracks quits, defined as voluntary separations initiated by the employee.
In its Tuesday “State Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary” report, the BLS said total separations increased in 12 states with the most occurring in Florida, where there was a 74,000 increase in July. Virginia and Pennsylvania also had high numbers of separations. Texas was the only state where separations decreased.
Quitting rates increased in four states during July, while the number of quits increased in seven. According to the BLS, the biggest increase reported in Colorado. Florida had the second highest rate increase, followed by Virginia, and it had the highest number of increased quits at 63,000. In Illinois, New York and Texas, quitting rates decreased.
As far as total numbers go, Newsweek reported that 205,000 people in Florida quit their jobs in June, followed by 268,000 in July.
“Employees are dissatisfied with the current state of overwork and a lack of worker protections, which in Florida seem to somehow be providing even fewer protections,” HR consultant Bryan Driscoll told the outlet. He explained that some of the states where rates decreased – such as Illinois and New York – have stronger labor protections. Without these, the job market can “feel unforgiving,” Driscoll said.
Tampa Bay Times reported this week that Florida professors are seeking jobs in other states and that is becoming hard for universities in the state to fill vacant positions, citing a survey administered by the state chapters of the American Association of University Professors and the United Faculty of Florida union.
This survey indicated that Florida’s political climate is one of the reasons why spots are getting harder to fill. Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is known for his conservative views and his support of controversial education-related such as the legislation Parental Rights in Education bill, also known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
State University System Chancellor Ray Rodrigues said in a statement that the survey of professors was not reflective of “actual data,” said Tampa Bay Times.
“He pointed to an Inside Higher Education analysis that pointed out that data was scarce about faculty migration,” the outlet added.
It isn’t clear if rudeness has had an impact on job retention in Florida, but another recent study covered by Audacy also ranked two cities in the state among the rudest in the U.S. – Tampa and Miami. Newsweek also noted that there have been more businesses registered in Florida than any other state this year. By April, there were already nearly 164,000 new businesses.
Additionally, the national job market has been slowing down in recent months. This week, the Federal Reserve Bank’s Federal Open Market Committee release said that job gains have been slowing but that the unemployment rate remains low.
In Florida, Driscoll said there is about an even number of working-age people moving out as they are moving in. He said those who are leaving their jobs are likely looking for more stability, flexibility and support from their employers.