The problem is when entry level jobs disappear and are replaced by unpaid work that only people with private means can afford. That is deeply unethical and also not a long term economic solution.
Why can't we hold individuals to the same standards as employers? Because the individuals that employers employ used to be called "employees" and they had certain rights that were hard won through a lot of often very violent struggles. Now employees are called "volunteers", "interns", "the entitled" and "individuals" and for that privilege they're no longer paid.