"When the Boomers got out of school, even the most drug addled and lethargic had jobs literally thrown at them."
The Baby-Boom Generation was born between 1946 and 1964, and the peak birth years were 1957 to 1961. Most of them reached adulthood and first entered the job market during the 1970's and early 1980's which, I can assure you, was no economic Golden Era: four recessions (1969-70, 1973-75, 1980, 1981-82), double-digit inflation and interest rates during the late 1970's, and falling real wages and stock prices throughout that period.
Not to mention, by being a "baby boom", there was a surplus of workers all around the same age. There was also more women working than in the past. The job market isn't as bad as it is often portrayed.
Yes however, some industries grew overall throughout that time. In spite of the inflation, career growth was good for most. The real boom for the Boomers was during the 1980s. As the WW2 generation retired, there were not enough of the Silent Generation (the first "Baby Bust") to fill the slots. Ergo, Boomers got promoted way over their heads.