I think this might be the point though…
I am not sure the problem is that there aren’t enough ID jobs but that there need to be the right ID jobs for where people are in their late 30’s and onwards.
A lot of ID positions are really badly paid unless you have managed to really build a profile and have become a leader in your field.
Just being a mid-level staff designer might be difficult to handle if you have certain expectations on quality of life or a family to care for. I get contacted quite a bit by recruitment as well but honestly, most of the offers are just not interesting to me as the pay is way off.
When I effectively started my ID career in my early 30’s, I felt the pressure immensely to have to progress at twice the speed as my colleagues that were 5,6 or 7 years younger. I felt that I had to catch up in order to be at a place I felt I needed to be going towards 40.
So I absolutely agree that if you stay current, there are indeed jobs but I am not sure that these are necessarily the jobs you want or need when you are a bit older and that getting there does get a lot more difficult as times goes on.