There're ample data showing a broad based general shift in American culture; check out post #15 the way Ameircans have changed their source of financial support. From 2006 to 2009 we saw 4% go from wages to gov't assistance --it had been static for three decades following a similar shift in the late 1960's.
Even so, this 4% cultural change would not explain the 16 million increase in the "not-employed" working age population that we're seeing in the raw data. My take is we got left-wing misrepresentation of bls research.