When he was furloughed from his job as a slot floor supervisor at Graton Resort & Casino during the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, Andrew Esch had a lot of time to reflect on what he wanted to do with his life.

And that didn't involve a future at the tribal casino.

The time off from his night-shift duties gave Esch more time to contemplate his next steps and apply to graduate school at Sonoma State University's public administration program.

"I decided I want to pursue more my education and being at home with all that time just gave me a lot of time to prepare for my master's program," said the 28-year-old Sonoma County resident.

Esch left the casino in December and started the Sonoma State program in January. His path forward further improved in June when he was hired by the state Department of Consumer Affairs as an investigator. That new position gives him a runway to chart his professional life aided by a background in security-related fields.

"I would say the opportunities the state offers is tenfold," Esch said.

Esch is just one example of a structural change in the workforce occurring nationally, as well as here in the North Bay, that has been largely triggered by COVID-19.

The health crisis has given many workers a chance to reevaluate their professional lives and make changes during the past 18 months.

Change is occurring all around.

There is a large shortage, especially of service and hospitality workers, who are giving up those traditionally lower wages and are looking for something else. Workers also are negotiating with their employers to have more opportunity to work from home if they can, especially if they have kids.

Such actions also have led to a revitalized labor movement that has grown locally into more fields, such as cannabis and insurance. In short, the pendulum has swung back in favor of the worker and employers are adjusting.

How far that may go is undetermined.

"There is huge volatility in the labor market," said UC Berkeley business professor Homa Bahrami, an expert in workforce organization.

For example, the U.S. Labor Department reported 4 million Americans quit their jobs in April, which was a 20-year record, she noted.

The change is occurring across the age spectrum, including those with the financial means to retire early and pick up a new career. But much of the job churn is being carried out by millennials like Esch who are taking a different approach to their careers than their parents, focusing so far on a more varied and transitory life as they confront massive challenges, such as the pandemic and climate change, Bahrami said.

"I think among the younger generation, they value experiences over possessions," she said. "They are very different from the boomer generation."

No matter the age, workers are being choosier about employers.

One example is Suzanne Murphy.

The 54-year-old Santa Rosa resident worked for Home Depot for 18 years, most recently in Santa Rosa. She was on a part-time status and said her pay grew from $10 an hour to slightly less than $18 during her tenure. Thus, Murphy left in March 2020 to try to make more money at the onset of the pandemic.

But after temporary spots at two other jobs, Murphy is unemployed and continues to look for work. She has managed to subsist with unused vacation pay from Home Depot and enhanced unemployment benefits passed by Congress.

But the federal program extending unemployment benefits for Californians will expire this month for about 2.2 million people, according the state Employment Development Department. Another 500,000 Californians will continue to receive regular state unemployment insurance, but without the $300 federal supplement.

A diabetic, Murphy said she will not take another job unless she is assured her future employer will take coronavirus health and safety protocols seriously, which she hasn't found since she left Home Depot.

"How do you treat your workers? How do you value them?" Murphy said. "They count on it once they take a job with you. Or, is it just something you say to get them in the door?"

But there is also concern for workers on the other end, such as those who have jobs that allow them to work remotely more at home. That's the case for some County of Sonoma workers represented by local Service Employees International Union (SEIU) 1021 who want to put in place an agreement that will allow for more flexibility similar to a pact in Marin County.

"Remote work has been a very necessary godsend," said Jana Blunt, chapter president for local 1021 who works in the clerk-recorder's office.

"The county was kind of forced into it, not thinking it was something we would ever be able to do. But the pandemic like the fires, the floods, power outages has forced us into this current future. We are all very surprised how successful it has been."