How much?
(Thanks, kabar!!!)
Anecdotally, the situation I see around me, in terms of people not working, is really lousy. Worse yet is (as I see it) a BIG problem with too many people working, but not working to their ability / talents. It's almost as bad as what I saw in the Philippines: College grads, often with degrees in "good" fields (not fluff like art or Radio-TV), and others with GOOD resumes / backgrounds, manning the checkouts in the stores, etc. It's no wonder so many look for employment even in Muslim countries, and scary to think we are heading that way.
I suspect that some of the middle class are not doing poorly, but that major portions are barely holding their own, or sinking, economically (not even counting ObamaCare premiums, constantly rising local and state taxes, and so on.) Who can afford to work their way through college (or if parents, send their kids to college) without financial aid? Who can afford an average cost new car?
It's important to remember that even a slight oversupply of almost anything can really drive the "cost" down, and we have more than a slight oversupply of labor in many employment arenas.
Maybe ol' kabar has some charts that would illustrate the subject of the "plight" of the middle class, especially in certain job type areas, "by the numbers"?