I'm not saying they are wrong, but I do want to address a problem with those claims:
Alarmists have been saying for centuries (no exaggeration) that technology will wipe out jobs and make it impossible to make a living. Each time, they have been wrong. Technology has lead to increased standards of living and more job creation. Yes, outdated jobs are destroyed, but they are replaced with new, often better paying, ones.
I'm inclined to agree with you, that the alarmist warnings about job destruction are overblown, but the trend is certainly real. Automation and technology reduces the need for human employment. The economy shifts and people find new industries, but this shift is not unlimited. There will not be new jobs simply because there are more unemployed people, there has to be economic need for the employment. Manufacturing jobs are decreasing, and the American economy has adapted with an increase in service jobs, but there is not an unlimited need for service jobs. I think you're saying that with lower than average employment participation rates in the American economy, even though the economy has largely "recovered" and continues to improve. With that said, I think the alarmist warning is overblown because this is a trend that, while accelerating, still takes decades to play out. We're not in danger of having massive unemployment on account of technology in the next 10 or 20 years, though it certainly gets incrementally worse as time goes on.