Economics

More Americans Are Quitting Their Jobs. That’s a Good Sign

  • Number of voluntary job leavers rises to five-month high
  • Large effects from virus on some industries complicates data
Photographer: Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg
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The number of U.S. workers who voluntarily left their jobs in July increased to a five-month high, indicating more Americans are becoming sanguine about their prospects of finding a new position as the economy recovers.

So-called quits climbed by 344,000 to nearly 3 million during the month, Labor Department figures showed Wednesday. The number of job leavers as a share of total employed rose to 2.1%, creeping closer to the 2.3% that was prevalent before the coronavirus shut down the economy.