There’s a lot of factors at play. A lot of people died. Early on it was the elderly and "essential workers". A lot of people took early retirement, opening up job opportunities for people to move up into those roles. A lot of people used quarantine to up their skill set so they qualify for better jobs. I lot of people simply haven’t made it back to the workforce either because of the on again/ off again school situation and child care issues or because they’re now care taking family members now disabled by Covid or other medical issues that they couldn’t get timely care for because of Covid. I know several people this applies too. A lot of families have invested in DIY skills like gardening and preserving food, gone to homeschooling, and earning money online so that one parent can quit working. Or, they both work only part time now. A lot of people have started their own businesses. I know a local restaurant lost one worker because she’s selling Navajo burgers on fry bread under cottage industry laws. I’m seeing lots of that online. Some people went back to school to start working on advanced degrees, or to get training in a technical trade. Maybe some people used the opportunity to move to better situations overall (there’s been a lot of moving, or so it was reported, to escape unaffordable rents. With all those people gone, who’s working the jobs they left behind?)

Basically, the Great Resignation is proof positive that Atlas Shrugged is a load of shit. Next industry to face the reckoning ....