Report: Public employees leaving jobs at record rates

Research from Wisconsin Public Policy found that state and local employees left their jobs at record rates in 2021. In that year, 17,646 individuals left the ranks of the Wisconsin Retirement System’s active employees for reasons besides retirement, death, or disability. That was the most since at least 2002 and exceeded the next highest year on record by more than 2,000 workers. Overall, more than one in 10 of the system members who started 2021 as a state or local employee left their job or active status during the year. Most of the public-sector workers have been replaced, but the increase in turnover raises questions about the ability of state and local governments to fill critical positions.