For the older cohorts, isn't it possible people are doing informal work and not reporting it? As for the younger cohorts, it used to be a thing that you'd work

For the older cohorts, isn't it possible people are doing informal work and not reporting it? As for the younger cohorts, it used to be a thing that you'd work a bit in order to build up your CV. These days, it seems like a lot of things that you could do simply don't count towards a career anymore, there's been a cultural shift where many hiring managers don't buy that a job in another industry helps much. Waiting tables used to be a just fine way to show you were able to work, now you need an internship in a bank or you may as well not bother. Same with many other professions.