Your complaint and data aren't about the same thing which is slightly confusing. I would argue that Graeber's rhetorical question is just there to question the absurdity of that articles own assumptions. For, realistically, if production was so much more complicated (pieces of the production process scattered around the world etc) it would also incur extra cost .. they ship around the world to save money. But I agree, its quite likely there have been statistically increased changes in leisure. However, that's not really the point. I'm not even sure Mr. Graeber knows how important these measures of importance are in our lives, but I think he makes a lot of compelling claims. Especially since, well I don't know about you, but when he talks about the arrogance of those people who think if workers don't find value in their jobs, that their just being overly self important. This kind of inane logic (and probably loss aversion for themselves, as Graeber puts it "the visionary entrepreneurs") needs to be confronted.
The big idea of the interview is that things are getting worse for workers, especially the amount of time they are expected to work and the satisfacation they get from their work. People are always getting misquoted in interviews, but he makes the same points in his "bullshit jobs" essay. He doesn't link to his source, which makes it pretty obvious on page 2 that the biggest shift since 1910 has been the near evaporation of farm labor. People didn't stop eating, and the population didn't disappear. How can so few farmers produce ever more food? I will speculate that it has something to do with the large numbers of people who today work in air-conditioned offices doing things like weather forecasting, insuring against the risk of bad harvests, making financial deals to smooth out good and bad years, negotiating sales contracts, making and importing agricultural machinery, analyzing statistics on fertilizer and pest control, and a host of other logistical challenges. And many of these people, as well as the few remaining farmers, enjoy retirement programs, health insurance, information systems and other benefits that require an army of office personnel. This seems more plausible than a conspiracy of "the ruling class" to keep us all busy and obediently purchasing iGoodies to support CEO yacht demand. An accountant helping out on the John Deere account does not get the satisfaction of dirt under her fingernails, but this does not mean it is a useless job. The fact that the job does not entail sweaty labor from morning to evening, but allows her to take coffee breaks and even look at Hubski from time to time is not necessarily a bad thing.Your complaint and data aren't about the same thing which is slightly confusing.
My complaint is that Graeber appears to rely on speculation and intuition, but these do not make a sound basis for forming beliefs.