Is Your Business Ready for The Return of The Great Resignation in 2025?

This year businesses are facing a familiar challenge: The Great Resignation 2.0. This workplace trend first made headlines in 2021, when we saw millions of employees voluntarily leaving their jobs in search of better opportunities, work-life balance, and job satisfaction. Now, recent studies indicate an even larger wave of resignations on the horizon. Companies must ask themselves: Are they ready for a second wave of mass employee churn and what can they do to retain their experienced and valued talent?

“The Great Resignation” was coined in 2021. It described a massive shift in the workforce where millions of employees left their roles for other positions. I’ve been in the talent acquisition space for a long time, and I’d never seen anything like it.

Although it followed the COVID-19 pandemic, this talent trend was driven by several factors, including:

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, approximately 47 million Americans quit their jobs in 2021. It led to a lot of challenges for businesses across various industries. Companies had to develop enhanced benefits offerings quickly to attract talent in a competitive market and hold onto the employees they had.

Now, in 2025, we’re on the brink of what many are calling The Great Resignation 2.0. A study by LinkedIn and Microsoft indicated that this time around we can expect even bigger employee turnover. The survey of 31,000 individuals across 31 countries revealed that 46% of employees plan to leave their jobs in the year ahead. This is even more than 2021’s levels, when 40% stated they wanted to leave their jobs.

Many of the causes behind The Great Resignation 2.0 can be traced back to companies reconsidering and, in some cases, retracting the generous benefits introduced during the initial wave in 2021.

Some notable examples include:

As a business leader with over 20 years of experience in business development and talent acquisition, I can confidently say that companies need to remain proactive and adaptable in the face of The Great Resignation 2.0.

Here are practical steps your business can take to prepare for The Great Resignation 2.0 and retain your top talent:

However, my advice will always be to talk to the experts. Working with an organization that specializes in Recruitment Process Outsourcing means you get access to the skills and insight needed to mitigate employee turnover with talent acquisition and retention strategies designed to suit your specific business.

At Pierpoint International, we specialize in providing tailored talent solutions to help businesses navigate these challenging times. Book a call today to discuss your needs.