It's hard to make a lateral career move in a weak jobs environment. It seems to me he might be better off finding a job that needs his technical background, but

It's hard to make a lateral career move in a weak jobs environment. It seems to me he might be better off finding a job that needs his technical background, but also has a PM component where he can develop those skills and maybe grow into doing it full-time. Being a developer does not necessarily prepare you for being PM any more than the reverse is true; they are separate and unique roles.