Read this report on why businesses are not hiring. It makes alot of sense. A key reason is that output has remained the same despite a reduced workforce. In additon, that output has remained the same is direct evidence that demand has stagnated or been reduced and that is another key reason why employers are not hiring.
The rest of the world is producing engineers, and we're simply not. We tell our kids to get two or three degrees, but in what? Usually in fields that don't particularly pay well.