Back in the 1960s, a B707 pilot had to be skilled in manual flying. Instrument flying had to be done by hand and done right, especially tracking using the ADF. Not everyone was up to it, but those that were earned very good money. ATC procedures were much simpler and the sky was less crowded.
These days an aircraft can fly much more accurately using the automation, the airspace is far more congested and ATC procedures far more complicated. Some of the missed approaches at busy airports would be a nightmare to fly in a non EFIS/FMS equipped aircraft and weren’t designed with them in mind. Pilots could be trained to hand fly a complicated go around but then they would need to be kept current as well. Training resources are not unlimited and the time could be better used in other areas rather than something which can be done more accurately by pressing a button and monitoring.
Simulators were created to practice flying aircraft but now incidents occur when Pilots have a check ride coming up and use the aircraft to practice manual flying for the SIM check.
If recruitment, training and testing were to a much higher standard so that only a small percentage could get through, and more simulator time allocated to maintain currency, then airliners would only be flown by top gun pilots who could hand fly the entire flight within tolerances and execute a missed approach procedure involving three different NAV aids in five minutes.
Pay would need to be increased to attract this rare breed, with Captains starting on £500 000 a year rising to £1 000 000.
At the moment there is a shortage of Pilots so my solution is impractical as well as unaffordable.