There has been so much said about the lack of workforce participation and quiet quitting. But what doesn't get discussed is how for years we had employers pretending that they didn't know what the correct living wage was. And employees choosing to suck it up and keep working for whatever they could get. But everyone had a feeling that deep down, employers had zero concern for employees. Then COVID came along and proved it.
This is why the job market is so screwed up. It came from years of some people ignoring the obvious and others choosing not to care. I don't believe this will be solved without any honest recognition on the part of the employers in regard to the mess they made. Because the younger people coming into the system clearly get it.