But now there are a lot more people competing for those jobs...
I mean, has our population really grown that much in four years?
In fact, even if it has, this has more than been offset by the generational phenomenon of Baby-boomers leaving the workforce through retirement or death, as well as the return home of many illegal aliens (combined with less arrivals).
So, with Babyboomers retiring, we should be in good shape even with an average amount of openings for now. Though, because they are retiring, they won't be buying any more fast cars or barbeques.