this is the exact opposite of my experience

20 years ago I got a retail job by submitting an online application that was very simple, no personality test, the manager called me the next day and brought me in for an "interview" that was basically "you're hired, what hours can you work" and then I worked there until the store closed for renovations. that was typical for younger people, if you wanted a job you could get one

now, it's extremely hard to get a job doing *anything* except perhaps outdoor labor in the summer. it's not that there are no open jobs, the companies are just insanely picky, in the manner of a woman who gets the ick from a guy pausing to zip his coat up before walking out into a storm