Behind the Post-THR Resignation Phenomenon, It Turns Out Salary Isn't the Cause

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – After the disbursement of Holiday Allowance (THR) and the Eid al-Fitr holiday, the trend of searching for new jobs has increased again. However, this phenomenon is not entirely driven by the desire to chase higher salaries, but by more complex factors in the world of work.

This situation is often interpreted by companies as a wave of “job-hoppers”. Yet, the latest data shows that employees’ decisions to switch jobs are not solely motivated by financial compensation.

“The post-Eid resignation phenomenon does occur, but not in significant numbers compared to other periods such as year-end or after performance reviews, which are usually related to promotions and salary increases,” explained Ria Novita, Talent Acquisition Manager at Jobstreet by SEEK, in her statement on Sunday (29/3/2026).

“For those resigning after Eid, it is usually because they have intended to do so for a long time, but waited for the THR payment to receive their full rights. So, their resignation is only carried out after receiving the THR.”

She also highlighted the ethical aspects of such resignations.

“As long as employees meet the work tenure requirements and follow the applicable resignation procedures at the company—for example, providing notice according to the notice period, completing responsibilities well, and supporting the handover process—resigning after receiving THR is fundamentally still viewed as legitimate and ethical,” she added.

Thus, the post-Eid momentum is better understood as a phase of realising decisions, not the main trigger for resignations.

The two main factors that are more determining are work-life balance and meaningful work purpose.

Employees who feel their work has meaning are proven to be happier and less likely to leave the company. Even, happy workers have a 24 percent greater chance of being motivated to deliver extra performance.

This finding reinforces that talent retention strategies are not sufficient by relying solely on salary increases, but also need to pay attention to the quality of the work environment.