Swinging labor market: RTO mandates shake up employee leverage across U.S.
- The office worker quits-to-layoffs and discharges ratio measures how much sway employees have relative to their employers; the higher the ratio, the greater the employee leverage.
- Post COVID, this figure jumped to 3.1—the highest in recent history—creating a very employee-friendly labor market.
- In recent months, employee leverage has all but disappeared, with the ratio plummeting to its lowest value since January 2023—potentially due to increased return-to-office efforts across the U.S.