Are workers better off in a “workers economy”?

Workers are quitting their jobs at near-record levels, many in search of higher pay during the pandemic. But some are facing challenges leaving low-wage service jobs and improving their financial situations.

About 4.2 million workers quit in October, according to the latest Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary. But among those who left jobs in accommodation and food services, 65% returned to jobs in the same industry and 25% transitioned to retail roles, according to the California Policy Lab.

Heather Long is an economics correspondent for The Washington Post. Long followed former servers and cooks who quit a popular Arkansas restaurant in the past year for a new article, “Life after quitting: What happened next to the workers who left their jobs.” The piece is being adapted into a series for the podcast “Post Reports.”

Click the audio player above to hear Long’s conversation with “Marketplace” host Kai Ryssdal about the project.