Maybe we're not officially in a "recession" but you can't look around and tell me most people feel the economy is doing super great right now.
The industry that wasn't affected by a large demographic of near retirees was technology. Because age discrimination was built into the culture. Not a lot of old programmers sticking around. They get RIFed right outta here. So while there is a shortage on teachers, nurses, trades, and police there is a surplus of junior and mid-career tech workers.
Sometimes this requires a reframing of what one’s talents are when applying for jobs outside what one might consider a normal window.
Also, I might recommend getting a recruiter to work for you to throw more mud on the wall so to speak.
One is the sum total of goods and services. Measuring it is always a bit dicey but the metrics are doing reasonably well.
The second is how much money people have, in terms of its ability to buy stuff. That can be subjective, especially when the objective measures are contradictory, as they are now.
Ideally the two would be somewhat correlated. When the first definition is doing great and the second isn't, people get cranky because their work isn't bringing them wealth and stability. That is a systemic problem that goes even beyond today's economy.
Consumer confidence (Conference Board) present situation index is the highest its been in two years, even though not at the extreme highs it was sitting at pre-COVID, but, yeah, I can tell you exactly that, with pretty strong evidence.
Are most people in a precarious situation as is the norm in a mostly-capitalist economy? Yes. But that’s part of the long-term baseline.