About 157,000 American workers quit their manufacturing jobs in October, representing the largest rate in more than eight years, according to a new survey from the U.S. Department of Labor.
The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey reported 271,000 new hires, 157,000 quits, 94,000 layoffs and 21,000 "other" separations — like retirement or death — in the manufacturing industry in October.
The amount of workers voluntarily leaving factory jobs has pretty consistently outpaced the rate of layoffs since 2011, reports The Wall Street Journal. The gap between employees quitting and being laid off is now the widest it's been since 2007.
The gap between the amount of available manufacturing jobs and the amount of new hires since 2012 is also increasing, suggesting companies are either struggling to find workers or not working very hard to fill open positions, according to WSJ.
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