A record 4.54 million Americans quit their jobs in March, a total narrowly eclipsing the previous high, set in November 2021.

CNN reports:

The number of quits increased most significantly in the professional and business services sector, as well as construction.

“As employers require workers to return to offices, quits are ticking upwards. A major reason for quitting is to find a remote opportunity,” wrote ZipRecruiter chief economist Julia Pollak on Twitter.

For our series America in Focus, Times Opinion asked 12 millennials about returning to the office, the Great Resignation and the future of work in America today. https://t.co/1ZTr5ueKYu

— New York Times Opinion (@nytopinion) May 3, 2022

Newly released data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics also revealed that there were 11.5 million job openings in March, another high water mark.

The Wall Street Journal reports:

Consumer-facing industries like accommodation and food services, along with arts and entertainment, had the highest rate of job openings in March.

The March job openings total was higher than the previous record of 11.4 million in December, according to the Labor Department.

Are you ready for some crazy JOLTS stats? Here goes…
– There are 5.4 million more job openings than unemployed workers
– There are just 0.52 unemployed per opening
– Quits make up 72% of all job separations, up from the pre-pandemic avg of 50%https://t.co/qtJZisYKY2

— Julia Pollak (@juliaonjobs) May 3, 2022

The Washington Post adds:

U.S. employers have added more than 400,000 jobs a month for nearly a year, while the unemployment rate of 3.6 percent remains near record lows. Wages have continued to rise — 4.7 percent in the year ending March 2022 — although they have not kept up with inflation, which has grown 8.5 percent in the same period.