Hawaii is expected to see the most workers leave their jobs in 2024.
A new study from AI productivity platform Plus Docs found that Hawaii employees are 79 percent more likely to quit their jobs than the national average.
This is based on Google keyword data covering phrases like “I want to quit my job” and “signs that it’s time to quit” across the country.
Hawaii residents search for these keywords 288 times per 100,000 people per month, nearly 100 percent higher than average.
Cars drive along Highway 11 near the airport in Hilo, Hawaii, on Dec. 12, 2016, looking toward Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii’s most notable state this year for employee turnover. Cars drive along Highway 11 near the airport in Hilo, Hawaii, on Dec. 12, 2016, looking toward Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii’s most notable state this year for employee turnover. George Rose/Getty Images
But for many people searching these keywords, it may reflect a strong desire to quit their current job rather than any actual plans, said Alex Bean, a financial literacy lecturer at the University of Tennessee at Martin.
“I don’t think this is a situation where people are leaving the labor market, but rather where they’re questioning, ‘Can I still make it financially in this job, given the reality that prices are going to go up?'” Bean told Newsweek. “The past year has made it clear that while inflation may be subsiding, prices aren’t going to come down anytime soon.”
Human resources consultant Brian Driscoll said Hawaii’s tourism-driven economy creates a “perfect situation” of low wages, a high cost of living and a constant influx of tourists that benefits big corporations more than individual workers.
“Workers recognize that they’re being exploited and that they deserve better,” Driscoll told Newsweek. “The spike in searches, even if only a small percentage of workers actually comply, likely reflects a growing dissatisfaction that goes far beyond the scope of the data. It indicates that workers are waking up to the fact that their labor is being exploited.”
Nationwide, Hawaii’s average salary falls in the middle: According to ZipRecruiter, the tropical state’s average annual salary is $52,828 compared to the national average of $59,384 for the fourth quarter of 2023.
Americans were most likely to search for “resignation letter,” averaging 1,222 searches per month.
States with similar levels of worker dissatisfaction include Nevada (an average of 228 searches per 100,000 people) and Maryland, where workers were 29 percent more likely to search for specific keywords than the national average.
“This campaign focuses on states where this trend is likely to be most pronounced in the coming months: Hawaii, Nevada and Maryland are likely to be home to the largest numbers of workers ready to make a career change,” Daniel Lee, CEO and co-founder of Plus Docs, said in a statement.
New York, which has already seen a surge in worker departures this year, also saw high searches, 26% above the national average, and similar figures in Florida, where retirement-related searches were 25% higher.
Kentucky, Utah and Idaho had the least number of searches for retirement-related keywords, where workers were 42% to 49% less likely to search for them.
Employees who do end up submitting their resignation should be careful to include a note of gratitude, Lee said.
“Many employees rely on recommendations from their previous employers when applying for new jobs, so severing ties is never a good idea,” Lee said.
Driscoll said if mass resignations did indeed occur in Hawaii and other states, it would likely send shock waves through the economy.
“Businesses that can’t or won’t pay their employees the minimum wage will be hit the hardest, and they should,” Driscoll said. “Perhaps this action will cause Hawaii businesses to rethink how they treat their employees.”