My network has gotten me every job over the past 10 years, and probably will get me the rest of the jobs I'll ever have. I am fortunate to have gotten into the industry when I did (2013), if I didn't have time to build a network I would genuinely be screwed.

Assess your LinkedIn profile. I get contacted by multiple recruiters per month. I've had dozens of interviews without sending a single application.

There aren't any, and the fight against bots, spammers and scammers is tiresome

Not finding work since I own a business but do employ two highly senior engineers.

Each time in an interview for new candidates, I ask how did you find this opportunity?

The best ones I hired said they found it through referrals from someone I know. I verified their work and experience by asking a friends of mine, and it certainly increased the likelihood I would hire them.

Obviously we still have to give them a take home challenge, but at the first stage, referrals helpfully filter out the time wasters, inexperienced candidates and AI resumes.

I think referrals and your network will matter a lot more since AI is being used heavily on both sides, the candidate and recruiter side, neither benefiting any side.

Niche local technology/ai communities seem to be places with a lot of alpha at the moment when it comes to jobs

I'm not.