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I wouldn't put much stock in that. I got my last two jobs by cold applying. A reference can certainly help, but I wouldn't say it's make or break.
In the past 5 years (not sure what counts as recent past), I’ve gotten one job without and one job with a referral. The job without a referral was in the last 2 years. It’s worth a try to get one, but I wouldn’t let it override sending my resume out.
For my current job I was brought in thanks to someone I'd worked with years ago. It can be important to get a referral like that, and that should always be kept in mind. As you go through your career, it's not enough to just avoid burning bridges. Be the kind of person people would always want to worth with again.