Further muddying the clarity of this discussion is the concept of A-list shadowrunners.
We established informal A through D ratings for shadowrunners.
D is your average disposable asset, they have no rep, or their rep is shite. Anyone can and will use and abuse these runners. The majority of newbie runners die here.
C is for smart, but still expendable assets. Runners who have survived a few runs and not made an arse of themselves. I'd say about 10% of all D rating runners make it to this grade.
B is reusable assets. People who can get the job done reliably and according to mission specs. Not many johnsons will screw these folks over. Maybe 20% of C rating runners make this grade. Most either cannot make the grade to move up, retire, or simply choose not to enter the A-league.
In our campaigns, A-list usually covers the big name npcs; Argent, Fastjack, etc. People reknowned in the shadow community. Perhaps 1% of all B runners make the A-list.
Start counting your figures from there. Say, a thousand, lets be generous 2500 D-list shadowrunners in Seattle from a constantly replenishing pool. 250 make it to the C-list, again from a constantly replenishing pool. 50 of them make it to B-list. Which leaves us with just 1 lonely A-lister in semi-permanent residence.
Rough figures, but it means pcs have a use for their shadow knowledge skills. "We need a reliable decker who specialises in 'X'. [roll] I heard about a guy, Silver Bandit." "He good?" "His rep is solid. But he only works in teams with at least one Ork." yadda yadda.
Numbers are a rough guide. After a tough month or two you could end up with a substantially larger C-list and an almost empty D-list.
Well, thats our view. Flame it or leave it.