People are quitting their jobs at record rates. That's a good thing for the economy.

For two years, John White has been trying to get a permanent job at the company where he's a contractor, but his applications to open positions there have been rejected five times. Company policy forbade contractors from working remotely during the pandemic, so even while his colleagues worked from home, White has been commuting to work. "I've physically been in the office every day that I have worked here," recalled White, 38. 

When he's asked for raises, the staffing company and the client each blamed the other party. The last straw was when he asked his direct manager for a raise. According to White, she suggested he "leave and come back in under a different contracting company."   White did leave — for a competitor. Four days after this conversation, the Louisville resident lined up a job offer with a rival company paying an additional $2 more per hour, as well as paid time off and health insurance. On his last day, he brought in a cake, bearing the message, "Sorry for your loss."