Well lets face facts, times in aviation world wide are pretty sad at the moment. But some things have remained fairly valid through the good and the bad times. Sadly due to the extraordinary period up until 11/9, those criteria disappeared somewhat, and therefore are a shock now to people just finishing their training.
Im referring of course to the hours required to get a job. Hitting the 500 mark is a good start, crossing the 1000 is better. Whilst times are as they are, where type rated drivers with hours are on the market, times are tough for the wannabee. But sadly there has never been a route where you get a license and then step into the front of a big jet guaranteed. Pilots have always had to make moves, often between continents, work behind bars and drive taxis to secure their foundation in this career. Generally with all three combined. For married people this can be difficult but even there with patience and understanding by the spouse, it can be achieved.
I'm an ozzie, and the route there for years was for most guys to start in GA and progress through bush singles, bush twins, state regionals and if lucky hit a jet carrier. In the UK you don't have much of a GA market, so when times are tough, you need to look further afield, as well as just the UK instructional market. Check out the GA markets abroard, check the instructing markets abroard.
Many on this forum are quick to say that qualified commercial pilots from other countries, such as the southern commonwealth, are taking your jobs, but I hark back to the first part of my post ... hours. They probably had them before they embarked on the JAA Exam and complete redo of the IR route, that they had to complete, in order to qualify for employment in the UK.
I can see where WWW is coming from with the sim, but if I were you I'd simply go for the hours, wherever you have to go to get them, as when the jobs start coming back to non-typed pilots the ones with the higher times will be the first to get in.
Hang in there, it is always this way with Aviation and it swings both ways on ten yearly cycles.