Grey beard here, it's much different than in the past. In the past people worked a second jobs for XYZ, like a vacation fund, a fancier new car than they could normally afford, or home remodels. Today people work a second just so that they can afford their 1/3 of rent with their roommates.
I don’t think this is much different now than in the past, arguably less so. https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/LNS12026620