Some 4.35 million workers quit in February — most to take better jobs — in a sign the U.S. labor market is still the tightest it’s been in decades. Employees have more leverage over employers and they are taking advantage of it.

The number of people quitting topped 4 million last June for the first time ever. And it’s now happened nine months in a row, part of a pandemic-era trend that’s become known as “The Great Resignation.”

Before the pandemic, the number of people quitting jobs averaged fewer than 3 million a month.

Most who quit are finding new jobs and not leaving the labor force entirely, however.

U.S. job openings fell slightly to 11.27 million in February, the Labor Department said Tuesday, but remained near a record high. There’s almost two open jobs for every unemployed person.

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