But much of it seems to reflect the phenomenon that Anthony Klotz, an associate professor of management at Texas A&M, dubs the “pandemic epiphanies”: people who decided that the old normal simply wasn’t good enough for them.

This trend seems most pronounced in the hospitality industry, where restaurant and hotel jobs are going begging. But you can see it all over, from workers who say they’re ready to quit rather than get vaccinated or return to the office, to the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), one of Hollywood’s most powerful unions, which just overwhelmingly voted to authorize what would be the first strike in the union’s history. Much of the unrest seems to be driven by the pandemic: “If COVID has taught us something, it’s that we need to pause and rethink how we’re doing a lot of things,” Katie Sponseller, a production coordinator, told Variety.

The shortages may be annoying, but given how bad the old normal was in many corners of the American labor market, it’s great news that workers finally feel their bargaining position is strong enough to demand something better than the same old grind. At least, it’s good news if they’re actually right.

There’s nothing wrong with wanting your job to offer higher pay, or more flexibility, or better pay and benefits, or less grueling working conditions, or more meaning. In fact, there’s a great deal right about it. But that doesn’t mean those jobs exist, or profitably can, in the same numbers as the old jobs.