Flexi-work? unemployment?

I've been noticing this lately.
Have any of you been to any regional libraries lately?
There seems to be a lot of middle aged (say 30 -40 years old) people hanging out in the library using their laptops and stuff, surfing the net, doing work, whatever. This seems very evident in the mornings. Especially at say 10-12?

In the past, there wasn't that many middle aged people hanging around the library.
It used to be rather empty.

I'm not complaining or anything. Its not like these people are hogging seats or are a large proportion of library visitors. Its just this thrend I've been noticing lately, its obvious in the morning since school going kids will be studying in school.

You'd know, I was brought up in a time when office people worked with their computers inside cubicals, not in the libraries. Where drinks were served free in the pantry, not in Cafe Galilee(business hasn't seem to good lately, but the drinks are pretty good).

The whole paradigm shift in work environment is something I cannot get used to. It only goes to show how much our society has changed. The idea of flexible working hours and stuff. It usually imply comission-based jobs such as property, insurance agents or MLM salesman.

Well, I'm just saying...

Then again I thought, could these people be unemployed? Erm...increase in middle aged people hanging out in the library equate to unemployment? Well, they could be waiting for a job reply and hiding the truth from their family. Unemployment can be painful thing especially when the family members are not understand, or unable to appropriately react to the situation.