Disaster Breakdown video of the accident for anyone interested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jsch6vFlcE4

Are airlines lowering their standards due to labor shortages, or are they overworking their pilots?

There are over 100,000 commercial flights per day around the world. Flying is very safe but statistically, shit happens.

Or are people flying more so there are more opportunities for incidents?

You sure haven't read the incident report on that disaster, did you? It is not even the same aircraft model, not even the same manufacturer...

It's the training of the first officer that is the questionable in both incidents.

While that was a contributing factor in the AF case (I didn't look up the other one), it is far from the only one. Stating it like the FO training being, kind of, the only factor is over simplifying things a lot. Exactly what isn't happening with aviation incidents.

Have you read the AF447 report? The FO lacked basic airmanship skills, such as not stalling own plane and not knowing pushing the nose down to increase airspeed.... he would have failed PPL licence in a Cessna.

Sure, it was not the only factor, but it was one of the decisive factors.