My organization is hiring for ops and java engineers right now. We pay well. We're having a hard time finding anyone who wants to work full time. Most people we're talking with would rather work on project basis or work part time.
After working in IT for 12 years, I can't blame them. If you can, why sit at a desk for at least 5 days a week, at least 8-10 hours a day each day.
It's going to be hard in this thread to shake off all the biases high-end software people bring to the table. We are, as a collection of people engaging with any topic, particularly bad at seeing things through anything other than the lense of our own experiences; maybe that's because we spend so much time in a heavily-amplified online echo chamber.
It'd be interesting to note whether the rise is accelerating or decelerating, whether it's growing in sufficient proportion to the number of Americans entering the workforce, etc.
Just because the share is rising doesn't mean those enterprises aren't becoming less viable or accommodating.
I'm not saying they are or aren't, only that that data is pertinent.
I think this analysis is more wishful than factual. It'll get upvoted because of course tuition and health care are satanically expensive.