Lightning McQueen wrote:How so many people simply "don't want to work". There are jobs out there but people choose to do f*** all.
I think there are a range of things at play here.
During the pandemic, people were forced to save (as everything else was closed). This created a few scenarios.
One, people now have some cash behind them and can afford to work less.
Two, people learned that you don't need to spend 100% of your pay check every week. You can have a happy life spending $500 a week instead of $1000.
Both of the above have meant people don't need to work as much as they used to.
Next, the alternative income sources continue to grow. Or non traditional income. The fact that people can make money on social media, or youtube, or setting up a basic drop shipping empire. Driving Uber or delivering food via doordash.
These ad-hoc incomes are often enough for people these days, especially if they have discovered the ease of frugal living mentioned in the above item. I've got a few mates who don't work regularly anymore, and they just log in a do a few extra hours on Uber when they've got an event coming up that means they need more money that week/month. I couldn't possibly live like that, but they can.
Also, and this one might be a bit more controversial, but social security has become too good. I'm not saying get rid of it, and I'm certainly not advocating for not supporting the truly venerable, but the level of support the tax payer provides to a regular citizen has created a scenario where people can exist on handouts. They don't have the most glamorous lifestyles, but it's more than enough for them to be content and choose not to work. In my opinion, unemployment benefits should be just enough to stop you turning to crime to eat, but not so much that people see it as a viable alternative to work and therefore choose not to get a job. It's a fine balance, and one that people will have a differing opinion on where that line is.
There are a range of other factors as well, but the three above seem to be some of the bigger drivers imo.