I think you could be right. But the involution has happened in the legal corps that stood for the humans behind the job positions.

If you follow the natural logic of capitalism, eeven in the best times, with all the workers unionized, well paid and whatever, the enterprises did less money than now: zero insurance, multicompanies inside a big one “selling services” among each other so they qualify as medium companies, less taxes, workers as slaves, clients as part of a consuming machine, not the “end” of the bussines, damned marketing thinking they are psychiatrists and that lying for sell stuff is ok cause “there are no victims”, poor education (you named the causes) so no one understand why this is no good, ad infinitum.

I don’t know the whole story, but capitalism has the reek of the slavery in its roots. And then, the “self-help”. That’s the same as don’t ask for help, no ones gonna help you.