Business

People are opting out of the rat race and into nihilism. Driven by burnout, a desire for better work-life balance, or the promise (if not the reality) of long-term generous welfare entitlements (or even the ‘utopia’ of Universal Basic Income), workers are quitting – or refusing to even join – the workforce in droves. Instead of submitting to the security of a salaried job, these individuals are opting for personal development, sabbaticals, self-employment – or just nothing at all.

‘The Great Resignation’ is a term coined by Professor Anthony Klotz of Texas A&M University to explain the mass move away from work and towards leisure. This shift has been accelerated by the two-year period of self-reflection forced upon us during the Covid-induced pause in our collective lives.