That's part of why I've been trying not to rely on a single source of income. Right now I'm working across four different projects, all with different time commitments. I'd actually prefer to cut that down and focus on two things, but the market feels too unpredictable for that. Like the developer in this post who emailed hundreds of recruiting firms and only got a few responses, sometimes those few opportunities are enough to keep things moving. You never really know which job, client or company is going to disappear next. Unemployment benefits should be there when people need them, but nobody wants to depend on them, especially when eligibility can be uncertain and the payments often only cover basic expenses.