My lawn guy keeps threatening to quit but then my wife tells me I can't.
Looking online, we have two problems. Older people left the workforce in the largest numbers ever during COVID, and they are not returning in the rates expected.
Younger people have developed a different attitude toward work. They much rather would do what they like. And they really love the gig economy. Two years ago I heard a Duke economics professor, a Libertarian, talk about the future of work. It appears he may have been correct. He said young people wanted to work enough to get them what they need, but not to be rich at some future point. He said it was increasingly common for the young to work a gig for 6-8 months, save all they can, then quit and take a month or two to travel and enjoy life. Rinse and repeat. Maybe we have a generation coming not bound by keeping up with the Joneses.
Plus it appears a lot of retail and restaurant employees have decided that dealing with jerks isn't worth it. I have seen a few restaurants close early because they were short staffed and customers were becoming quite rude. The managers decided they couldn't afford for their workers to get fed up and quit.