My experience is the opposite. Of the last 10 guys I know that got out, 6 are at plants 4 went onto other things. The problem with the nuke industry is that they hire in cycles. So, if they are not filling a class right now, then they aren't going to hire you for NLO/SRO, typically. I wouldn't blame the industry. I would ask your friends just how many places they applied to, and did they search the job openings? In my experience, you have to apply from the website where the specific job opening is, and if there was a listing, and they didn't get hired... then they need to look at themselves. One falsehood that Navy nukes have is that they are going to be auto-hired... that is simply not true. I do know a few guys that are blowing their interviews or the POSS exam, probably because they went into it with the "I am a shoe in" attitude. Or, they couldn't answer questions like "Tell me about a time that you helped lead a team in solving a problem, using the STAR technique."
Now, if they looked at the job site and applied for a job that wasn't posted (which you can't do in most cases), then of course they aren't going to be hired yet. They could go into queue for the next cycle. Also, it tells me that they haven't networked. They haven't come to a place like nukeworker.com to make contacts and give out their name and resume. Here, they could also find out the cycles of many places. For example, I could tell you the next time we will be hiring for NLO. Mike could do the same for his plant. Both of us could hand deliver a guys resume if he meets our individual qualifications (I did it twice in my short time at PV, and both were hired). Sometimes, if you know the right person, they can help you out quite a bit. But again, in the end, it comes down to the individual in the interview room.
If they aren't getting hired, sorry, but its not the industries fault. They need to take another look at their resume, their careers and their interview styles. 6 and out nukes are a dime a dozen, and from what I have seen here, they industry skims for the top of the crop. A guy that did something to make his career stand out. Why? Because they aren't just looking to just fill an NLO slot with this guy, they are hiring guys who will go on to be SROs someday.
So if you or your friends are one of those 6 and outters that did just enough to get by without getting in trouble, well, good luck. With a little determination you will probably get hired but its going to take a little more work. You won't be able to drop your resume at 1-5 places, you need to apply anywhere and everywhere. Putting all your eggs in one basket is a sure path to disappointment. Open up your search and realize that you just need to get your foot in the door somewhere, even if its a place you wouldn't normally want to work/live. You are going to have to learn how to answer questions like I mentioned above.
Even worse is an 8-10 and outter who didn't do anything like qualify EWS or get a degree.
Hope that helps.
Justin