There is absolutely zero possibility of DEC positions at a regional base here in EZY - as 737 Jockey says, they are like gold dust and you have to wait your time for them (a very long time of many years in most cases). It is not true to say that the DECs have dried up and nor is it true that Air Berlin captains are not applying. Not all the Air Berlin or Monarch captains have been successful at interview or the sim assessment, but we have still taken a shed load of them (a couple of hundred or thereabouts). It is a happy arrangement all round - unemployed captains get jobs with a good company and easyJet gets top quality guys - win-win for everyone. Regarding non-rated DECs, we have taken a lot from Norwegian and Ryanair (could not tell you the exact number) and will continue to do so from what I hear. The limitation at the moment is training capacity. EasyJet are taking around 900 new pilots this year and that is a massive training burden. There is not an airline in the world that would not wince at that and easyJet is no exception. Nonetheless, it is happening and the vast majority of people are happy to be there.
Regarding ShortfinalFred's questions, there is no one easy answer as it varies from base to base. I will try and cover the questions as best I can. In short, life for most pilots at easyJet is good, but it is hard work. Part-time is hard to come by, but not impossible. You can reckon on it taking 3 years from applying to getting it. You are virtually never sent out your base for a 5-day block, but there are temporary bases available for captains in LIS and OPO if you want them. You can get the odd night away, but rarely whole blocks. Trainers who have volunteered are getting a few months in MXP to run the new sim there. Leave in the summer is very controversial and extremely individual in terms of experience. Most people can get some but not everyone does. Roster stability varies from base to base, but July and August are prone to massive disruption - particularly in bases like LGW and LTN. The content of the block of work often changes after roster publication, but not so much at the smaller bases. However, once the roster is out, your days off are set in concrete and cannot be touched unless you volunteer to work them for extra money. Hope that helps.