Americans are quitting their jobs — and women are leading "the Great Resignation"

Americans are quitting their jobs in record numbers — and women are leading "the Great Resignation." 

Almost 3% of workers handed in their resignations in August, a record, the government reported Tuesday. The number of people quitting rose to 4.3 million, dwarfing the number of layoffs from employers, who cut 1.3 million jobs the same month. 

And women are quitting their jobs at a faster pace than men are, according to data from payroll services firm Gusto, which focuses on small businesses. Its analysis found that 5.5% of women quit their jobs in August, compared with 4.4% of men — a gender gap that's the largest Gusto has seen since it began tracking the issue in early 2020.