That's true to some extent, but I think market shifts are also part of it. At least here (Denmark) globalization has affected them quite differently: white-collar jobs are booming, while skilled blue-collar jobs have been hit hard. In the '70s, you could get a good, middle-class job at Maersk (the country's largest company) with either university or vocational education. With a university degree, you could work logistics and similar jobs in their headquarters; with vocational training you could work skilled-labor jobs in their shipyards. But the shipyards have all moved to Asia, while the Copenhagen HQ location has turned into a nearly 100% business-and-logistics office. Still a ton of work available, but almost none of it blue-collar, as Denmark is rapidly de-industrializing.