> I wouldn't quite say that unemployment is something that happens to other people, but that's damn near the case for competent engineers if you put even a bit of effort into networking and self-marketing.

Either I am not reading it properly, or you probably missed a word or two. But I wanted to confirm the gist of what you are saying here- it's that the vicious cycle of being left alone (after being laid off etc.) is one of the primary reasons why some competent engineers stay unemployed.