I acknowledge I am privileged in many ways and this won't apply to all people. I've quit two jobs during the pandemic because I was getting significantly better offers. I work in data, and the pandemic has created more demand than available skilled workers for what I do. It's a phenomenal time to be any kind of data or business analyst if you have the privilege of fast enough internet to process large data at home.
At the start of the pandemic I was making 78k a year and working 50-60 hour weeks. I got recruited for a similar role with better benefits and closer to 40 hrs/week at 100k salary. I loved that job, but 10 months later I got recruited by a new company for 145k salary and excellent benefits. In both cases, I wasn't even looking for a new job when recruiters reached out. Even now, I'm getting recruiter engagement 2-5 times a week.
Opening up remote recruiting for data roles because of the pandemic has made the market for good talent incredibly competitive. Instead of being limited to local salary ranges, you can go for California or NYC based companies that pay more. Local companies now have to compete with San Francisco's pay market. And spoiler alert - they will offer the money if you're in a position to walk away without it.
Making two moves this past year netted me an 86% raise, and I'm working fewer hours. I can actually pay above the minimum on my student loans, save for retirement, AND not feel guilty ordering occasional takeout with added avocado. As a millennial, I never thought I'd see this day.
I've helped two friends look for data jobs in the past 6 months too. With no reporting, coding, or data experience, one friend got an offer as a junior ops analyst for 100k. Another had been doing business analytics for 2-3 years and was making about 60k. After a revamp of their resume, they're in final interviews for two positions - one at 120k and one at 135k.
Making work from home the norm for my field completely changed both the availability of better jobs and my leverage as an in demand candidate. In terms of both salary and my debt-to-income ratio, I couldn't afford NOT to quit.