"They created it with the Covid fear-mongering and shutdowns."
*****
I think it's bigger than that. Maybe it's spiritual. I haven't really seen a good discussion of it. Here is a quote from a book that I'm reading, that I think starts to address the issue. The author is comparing recessions to depressions:
Depression fails these objective tests. It’s more vaguely defined. It has a powerful psychological element that defies quantification. A depression does not fit easily into equations. Depressions are rare, so they don’t play a role in most time series of data used in the regressions and correlations that are the lifeblood of Wall Street’s brand of pseudoeconomics.
Rickards, James. The New Great Depression (p. xviii). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. Then there is this, which is international, and goes by several names, but I think it's all of the same thing: "The Great Resignation," "Lying Flat," "The Last Generation," and my favorite, "Let it Rot."
'Lying flat': Why some Chinese are putting work second'What Happens When The Workforce No Longer Wants To Work?