Everyone is quitting their job. Great!

But regardless of the exact reason why, people seem to treating the reopening era as moment of professional liberation. And you know what? It’s nice. One miserable aspect of life in the aftermath of the Great Recession was the constant, low-grade fear that if you lost your job, you might not be able to find another one. People tended to cling to their work, which created office cultures of people who were happy just to be there. Not coincidentally, the rate at which people quit their jobs tended to be quite low. When economists talk about the value of tight labor markets and full employment, they tend to emphasize the concrete, material benefits for workers, especially rising wages. (Pay in the leisure and hospitality industry has shot up.) But there are also obvious, society-wide emotional benefits to having a economy biased in favor of workers looking for work rather than bosses trying to hire or instill the fear of god in their staff. We’d a healthier, happier country in the coming years if public policy makes sure more people can make like Steve and cannonball toward their bliss.