Sumber ilustrasi: Magnific
06 Juni 2026 21.39 WIB – Akar
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Desanomia [06.06.2026] There is a growing discussion that is becoming increasingly audible and widespread: the phenomenon of young people resigning from their jobs, even when they do not yet have a replacement job or a clear plan for what comes next. Is this merely a normal occurrence? Or does it actually indicate that a deeper change is taking place? If so, what kind of change is it? Why is it happening?
Some observers may enthusiastically discuss this phenomenon and regard it as an interesting social symptom that reflects a changing perception of work. While previous generations tended to view employment as a primary source of security that should be maintained for as long as possible, many young people today increasingly evaluate work in terms of meaning, quality of life, mental well-being, opportunities for growth, and alignment with personal values. When a job is perceived as no longer providing these elements, leaving it is often considered more rational than staying.
Economic explanations alone are insufficient to understand this phenomenon. From an economic perspective, leaving a job without securing another source of income appears highly risky. Yet from a social and psychological perspective, many young people perceive different kinds of risks: the risk of losing valuable years of life, the risk of becoming trapped in work they dislike, or the risk of enduring prolonged exhaustion and burnout. Within this framework, remaining in a meaningless job may appear more dangerous than experiencing a temporary period of unemployment.
The phenomenon is also related to changes in the structure of the modern labour market. Today’s world of work is increasingly flexible, yet at the same time increasingly uncertain. Short-term contracts, project-based employment, the digital economy, and freelance opportunities have led some people to believe that permanent employment is no longer the only viable path. If previous generations regarded work as a harbour, many young people now see it as only one stop along a longer journey. As a result, the decision to resign becomes easier to make.
However, there is another dimension that may be even more fundamental. Resigning without a backup plan can be interpreted as a sign of declining legitimacy of work institutions themselves. Many organisations continue to operate on assumptions inherited from an earlier era: strong loyalty, linear career progression, and obedience to established hierarchies. At the same time, younger generations have grown up in an environment that emphasises autonomy, creativity, and individual choice. When these two logics encounter one another, tension inevitably emerges. In this sense, resignation becomes a form of rejection of structures that are no longer seen as capable of answering people’s aspirations for life.
On the other hand, this phenomenon does not always reflect freedom. In some cases, resigning without a plan may instead reveal a diminishing ability to imagine the future. When individuals no longer perceive clear prospects, whether within their workplace or within society more broadly, leaving may become a spontaneous attempt to escape present pressures rather than a conscious step towards a genuinely new direction. Under such circumstances, resignation is not necessarily a sign of courage but may instead reflect a form of collective uncertainty.
For this reason, perhaps the more important question is not why young people are resigning, but why an increasing number of jobs are failing to provide sufficient reasons for people to remain. If the number of people choosing to leave continues to grow, the issue may not lie solely in the character of the younger generation. Rather, it may point to a broader transformation in the relationship between human beings, work, and expectations about the future. Resigning without a backup plan can therefore be understood as a signal of deeper crises: a crisis of the meaning of work, a crisis of trust in institutions, and perhaps even a crisis of imagination regarding the future itself.
What do you think? (njd)
Note: This article was made as part of a dedicated effort to bring everyday life around us to our minds.
