"Everyone, I Quit Today"…The Overseas 'Quit Job' Trend Blowing Strong [Youth Report]

The Trend of Publicly Announcing Resignation Process with 'Quit Job'
Live Streaming from the Moment of Submitting Resignation Letter
However, Negative Views from Companies

Recently, the 'Quit Job' craze has been sweeping overseas. This refers to employees refusing to quietly resign and instead publicly sharing their resignation process through social networking services (SNS) like TikTok. For example, they record moments such as submitting their resignation letter to their boss and share the videos with viewers. However, since companies are often publicly criticized during this process, many corporations hold a negative stance.

"I Quit My Job"... 'Quit Job' Videos Trending on TikTok

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The 'Quit Job' trend, also called 'loud resignation' or 'noisy resignation,' began in late 2020. It gained more popularity in July 2021 when British McDonald's employees live-streamed themselves telling their boss "I quit" during shift changes. In this way, Generation Z in the U.S. shows their intention to resign through live broadcasts, receiving supportive comments or sharing the process of being fired to widely expose unfair treatment by companies.

The most notable 'Quit Job' video is the case of Christina Zumbo, a public servant in Australia. In September 2022, she posted a video of her submitting her resignation letter on her TikTok account. The video received over 53,000 likes. Zumbo said, "I didn't expect so many people to empathize with the fear of leaving a job."

In the past, when the concept of a "lifetime job" was firmly established, resignations were often handled quietly and with guilt. However, recently, some young people have actively expressed their dissatisfaction with their companies by posting videos and began receiving comfort from others in similar situations. This trend gradually solidified into the 'Quit Job' movement. In fact, a Gallup survey of 122,416 workers from over 160 countries worldwide found that about 18% of workers are 'loud quitters,' while 59% are 'quiet quitters.'

'Resignation Vlogs' Also Gaining Popularity in Korea

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The 'loud resignation' phenomenon is not limited to overseas. On domestic YouTube, it is easy to find 'resignation vlogs' focusing on the resignation process. Most videos include explanations about the decision to quit and plans after resignation.

The popularity of resignation content reflects the recent increase in young resigners in Korea. According to the '2023 Second Half Corporate Hiring Trend Survey' released last month by the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Korea Employment Information Service, an average of 16.1% of new hires resign within one year, with a somewhat higher proportion of new employees (57.2%) compared to experienced workers (42.8%) among those who resign.

The main reason for resignation cited by both new employees (68.6%) and experienced workers (56.2%) was 'finding a job with better working conditions.' However, 41.0% of new employees answered that they change jobs because 'the work is not interesting or does not match their aptitude.' This reflects the characteristic of young workers who resign if the work environment does not align with their values, no matter how good the job is.

However, as 'loud resignation' gains popularity, some companies have banned 'Quit Job' videos fearing damage to their external image. Neil Costa, founder of HireClix headquartered in Boston, said in an interview with Fox Business, "Resignation videos often contain shocking content that is hard to ignore and spread like a virus." He added, "If you have worked hard until now, your colleagues and boss may want to work with you again. However, participating in 'Quit Job' could cost you future opportunities."