We've been barely treading water since the 2008 crash.

That's the impression I get, although the pre-2008 labor market was before my time so I don't have any first hand experience. I can tell you that people who started their careers before that point have no fucking clue what things have been like since. Employers started viewing the hiring process as a way to hand out corrupt favors to their cronies and that mentality never went away even after the economy "recovered". The only people left who think that employers give a fuck about skills and aptitude either started their career decades ago or benefited from the cronyism and have the self awareness of a woman.