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'Great Resignation': 2 Arizonans on why they joined millions who left their jobs

It’s being called the "Great Resignation." Millions of people are quitting their jobs amid the pandemic — and especially as life begins to return to some form of normal in the United States.

The U.S. Department of Labor reported a record 4 million people quit their jobs in April, with restaurant and hospitality workers leading the way.

The reasons are many — the migration to remote work, low pay, lack of benefits and, in general, the pandemic seems to have given people some space to think about their lives and to decide how they want to spend it.

It comes as the economy is recovering from a massive recession. Instead of workers lining up to get hired, though, its employers who are looking for staff right now. And that’s put the power back in the hands of workers.

So, what’s driving them — some of them — at least?

To find out, The Show spoke with Brigid Trainor and Marisa Jo Mayes. Trainor was a flight attendant before the pandemic hit, and Mayes worked in corporate medical device sales. But, in the last year — as the pandemic changed everything — they both left. The Show spoke with them about why.

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Lauren Gilger, host of KJZZ's The Show, is an award-winning journalist whose work has impacted communities large and small, exposing injustices and giving a voice to the voiceless and marginalized.