What happened to common sense???
If they lost 28% of the staff during the recession, what makes anyone think these people will not rejoin the workforce once they "can" get hired back... Sure, some of them may be flipping burgers now, but when an architecture firm send them a job offer, they are back to business as usual. If a demand for architects arises, the need will be filled. Currently, architects are not well paid nor appreciated... A temporary shortage of architects is just the thing the profession needs.