Years back talking with an old timer about the "good old days" and all one needed really to land a decent middle class job was just knowing who to talk to and a firm handshake along with maybe a cold beer for a resume.
A lot of jobs out there now are not worth the gas and some not even a bus ticket as they're basically hand to mouth while having to scrape by on food stamps and food banks. $15 an hour isn't much at all anymore and really needs to be around $35 to match inflation.