Well.. it it took me a fraction under 5 yrs to go from passing my initial IR to my base training on a 737.
I also did 3+ yrs instructing, which I enjoyed more than I ever thought I would, and I miss it.
There is NEVER a shortage of low hours non-type rated people and I doubt there ever will be and airlines need a broad range of experience when recruiting. So you have to do something about it to stand out of the crowd.. I went down the instructing route AND i bought a type rating. I was fortunate enough to get a job immeidately after.
Buying your own rating is a gamble.. but in my own opinion (and without getting drawn into the "moral" argument of self sponsored ratings) and for me, it made good financial sense.. I paid £5k for my FI rating and earned about £7-8k a yr as an instructor, maybe less... I paid £20k for a 737 rating and earned just under £50k in the first yr as an F/O.
Everyone on my TR course got a job, some quickly.. some took few months.
In fact everyine I've ever known who paid for a 737 rating got a job..
Anyway, I digress, the point being, is that to break into the industry, u either need to stand out from the crowd a bit, or be in the right place at the right time... it took me 5yrs, so be patient, stick with it and you'll get there in the end